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March 30, 2004

Life-like skiing

Just idly thinking about my ski holiday. Looking at the floor of my room that is nice and flat and comparing it to the slopes where I spent the last week. It occured to me that when you are skiing you dont get anywhere unless there is a slope, and when there is a slope it is more dangerous but utlimately more satisfying.

The floor of my room is flat. I spend most of my time in my room trying to work. But as anyone knows who has worked from home, its tough. Sometimes I feel like I am standing on a flat bit at the top of a slope, quavering before the task of conquering the ice, moguls and weathering the falls and terror. I know most times though that I am in the middle of a white-out on a black slope, crapping myself, constantly falling, but sometimes getting a spectacular view of the mountains through a break in the clouds.

It was a nince view, while it lasted. Back to work now...

Posted by dottie at 10:43 AM | Comments (1)

March 29, 2004

Smoking ban

Arrived back from holidays yesterday (more on that later...) and went for a couple of pints to Walshes pub in Stoneybatter. The reason that Rory and Garrett wanted to go was to experience the last day of smoking in pubs in Ireland.

We all drank our pints, the lads savoured their smokes and when 12 O'Clock rolled round the barman called out - 'you'll all have to stop smoking now. Please stop smoking.'

And without fuss or bother all the customers reached for an ashtray and stubbed out their cigarrette. No fuss, no bother - no doubt because they were all long-term customers.

And just like that an era came to an end. Long may it rest.

Posted by dottie at 1:43 PM

March 18, 2004

Rasterbation

This. Is. So. Cool!

http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

It takes a photo you upload to it, allows you to resize it, crop it, etc. Decide how many pages are to be used for outputing the final picture then it changes it into a series of what looks like random dots spread over the paper. But put them together in the right order, tape them, step back and - voila! your picture is now 10ft x 5ft - or whatever dimensions you chose!

Posted by dottie at 8:50 AM

March 17, 2004

Happy Paddys Day

I should be shitfaced today. In fact I dont feel Irish because I'm not. I have to save money for next week when I'll be on the slopes in the French Alps - woo hoo!

I'm so unpatriotic!

I'll make up for it by drinking only imported guinness for the next year....maybe.

Posted by dottie at 4:40 PM | Comments (1)

Fork in the road

I have a choice to make. Its a difficult choice. If I am weak and succumb to emotions then my life will tangle irrevocably into a big ball of shite. The other choice does not guarantee success, or hapiness, or even mild satisfaction. No guarantees.

-large number of paragraphs deleted on second thoughts -

The coarser emotions are compelling. They are simpler, but the consequences from them can be so much more complex. That too is appealing. Standing on the brink with reason a step behind you, it is easy to step out into the void, throw it all to hell. At times like that it can feel like you have never had control of your life until that moment of letting go. Havent you felt that temptation?

- more blah -

I feel like I am stepping back, doesnt mean I'm stepping away though....

Posted by dottie at 12:01 AM

March 16, 2004

Hotels

I should get back to work I have to have this:

http://www.bookingbeds.com/test/index.asp

ready for demoing tomorrow. Nearly there....

Posted by dottie at 1:00 AM | Comments (1)

New Planet!

Astronomers have found a new planet in our solar system! And get this, they named it Sedna - after the Inuit goddess of the ocean. Inuit. I just mentioned them! That means I'm psychic!

Anyway. Heres the scoop.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3511678.stm

Quaoar is of course the new (almost big enough to be a) planet they discovered in 2002. Quaoar is also the creator 'spirit' in the mythology of the Tongvan people.

http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~chad/quaoar/

Sedna was reported to have quoted - 'Eat my shorts Quaoar!'

Posted by dottie at 12:57 AM

March 15, 2004

Dishonesty

You what its like dealing with a mendacious individual. They would swear that black is white and white was black when it suited them and then try to convince you that you insisted on the colour swap when it didnt suit them anymore. It feels like walking in treacle. Its almost not worth it.

But, sometimes it is. Paper trails are a wonderful thing. If you can get them to express themselves in blck and white, they will sooner or later tie a particularly resilient weft around their ankles and end up lying bleating and shell shocked, much like a seal stranded on an ice floe.

At times like this it is bountiful to carry a large, and possible metaphor-ic, club with which to batter them. The liar that is.... seal fur is better on seals.

Unless you are an inuit.

In which case seal fur is probably a unit of currency.

Instead of green backs they could be called red-backs or furry backs., and they could have Nanook of the north printed on them in hologrpahic ink.

Wow. I think I just invented a consumer item!

Imagine an iPod wrapped in seal fur and emblazoned with Steve Jobs in holographic glory. Or a seal-fur covered mouse (...) with a holographic Bill Gates. Or for your girlfriend a seal-fur cushion with your face on it! :)

Posted by dottie at 10:53 PM

March 11, 2004

Robot Cartoons

http://www.macboy.com/cartoons/sfr/

I love robots
Robots love me
we do it outside often
so all you folks can see

actually no robot porn or anything like that, just a few cartoons. I love the first one. I'm going to use that line someday.....

Posted by dottie at 8:21 PM

Tattoo'd lady

http://www.sleevesclothing.com/

The lady above is sporting the limited edition all-over body tattoo t-shirt. No pain involved. Except maybe when your mother slaps you silly when she thinks you've ruined the perfect little body she made for you inside her, with pain and blood and all that, and you just throw it all away! Then tears and more slapping....

Man! I have to get some of these t-shirts!

Posted by dottie at 7:57 PM

Expressing an interest

I know that sometimes the mere notion of 'expressing an interest' in a body of knowledge, say - history, latin poetry, fashion design or learning Irish - can keep at bay the horror of actually having to study the subject of interest. Or even to learn more than a cursory overview, a cultural biopsy, a molecule thick cross-section. Basically enough to let you look like you know what the hell you are talking about in a social situation. Its called having your cake and eating it.

True experts at the art know, usually from painful experience, that it is necessary to know enough about the 'body of knowledge subject to expressed interest' so that should an expert in the area suddenly unveil himself in the audience and denounce your prattlings as hogwash, you can feignt with a well honed cross reference to a not-so-popular exponent of the 'body of knowledge subject to expressed interest', flustering the bona fide expert into a retreat or at least maintaining and perhaps concreting the illusion of expertise in the minds of your adoring onlookers.

You'd think that an adroit way with the quips, a working knowledge of a wide range of subjects and a steady nerve to aid in the delivery would result in admiration, kudos and affection from friend and stranger alike.

Well it never got me laid.

Posted by dottie at 5:18 PM

Lott oh

I have a sure fire plan to make money. I will charge everyone who does the Lotto a euro so that I wont do it.

Every time I have bought a Lotto ticket in the last few years, not only have I not won (anything!) but the jackpot has never been won.

Fo some weird reason I am shorting out the probabilities when I buy a ticket - I'm reducing everyone's chances of winning.

So, conversly, by my NOT playing, everyone has a greater chance of winning!

Send me money and buy yourself a Lotto ticket safe in the knowledge that you are more likely to be a winner - I promise I wont use the money to buy a toicket for myself. Honest.

Posted by dottie at 4:56 PM

March 8, 2004

Pingu Massacre

The horror! The horror!

http://andrewg1323.uk.ro/ping.swf

Thanks to Emmet for the link!

See also : Apocalypse now in 30 seconds, renacted by bunnies - the horror!

http://www.angryalien.com/0803/apocalypse_bunnies.html

Posted by dottie at 9:58 AM

March 5, 2004

Truth is stranger

Chilling. The dead zone around Chernobyl.

http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/page5.html

The image of the doll is pretty hackneyed at this stage but when you realise it has been sitting like that for 18 Years you cant help but feel a shiver down your spine.

'Stalker' A film by Tarkovsky deals with an area that was decoimated by a comet fall. In the center is a room that grants wishes. The way there is treacherous and only navigable by people known as 'Stalkers'. Pretty powerful stuff, but long and some say boring. I would say atmospheric. Just give yourself three hours or so and watch it.

http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/tarkovsky.html#stalker

Similarities?

Posted by dottie at 5:53 PM

What a way to go

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/03/sex.defense.ap/index.html

Posted by dottie at 5:41 PM

Soundcover subterfuge

http://www.simeda.com/soundercover.html

This site offers background sounds for people who want to appear to be somewhere they are not - like select the traffic noise and phone your boss. Or select phone ringing in 15secs when you see a friend who talks a lot.

I'd love to hijack these phones and replace the sounds. Traffic could be replaced with, bar noises. You could get the phone to play sex moaning for when your girlfriend calls. Remember these arent ring tones, these are sounds played through the phone and heard by the other person when you are talking to them.

Cool. Let the games begin!

Course someone has to have a Java enabled phone for it to work...bah!

Posted by dottie at 5:37 PM

The new wailing wall

The so called 'Peace' wall in Israel - actually not Israel at all. If the Israelis want to build a wall surely they should build it on their own land? No. Over 90% of the wall is on Palestinian land, most of that pre-1967 land, so land that Israel has not even a tenuous claim to.

Communities split in two. Students cut off from school, patients kept from hospital, workers kept from jobs, family homes destroyed, demonstartors shot, innocents shot, olive groves destroyed, divides between peoples widened further.

This damages communities caught on both sides - the Israelis as well as the Palestinians. Understanding needs to be forged now, not greater mistrust and confusion. 'What are they doing over there? You know those Palestinians/Israelis always up to no good...'

Peace walls dont work. Peace bridges might have a chance...

Posted by dottie at 4:29 PM

My room

The best thing about my room is that on a sunny morning the sun peeks through the slatted blinds to wake me up. I love it. Its a lovely feeling to be all cosy in bed and the sun shining in on you.

It always reminds me of that line in that Joni Mitchell song 'Chelsea Morning' - 'The sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses'.

Thats exactly how it feels.

When I eventually have to leave this flat, the one thing I will miss is being woken by the sun.

That and the Romanian tavern behind us - but thats a story for another day.... (watch out for audio samples!)

Posted by dottie at 10:07 AM

Dubh Linn

The Liffey is living up to its name, for once :)

Posted by dottie at 10:01 AM

Sunny day in Dame Street

I have a backlog of photos. This one is just from a couple of days ago. I bet if I didnt tell you it was Dame Street you wouldnt have recognised it!

Posted by dottie at 9:59 AM

Pinties in Walshes!

Ah the Guinness was good indeed. Another visit is on the cards - soon.

Rory (non-plussed)
Vanessa (giggling)
Guiseppe (gurning)
Whats on Rorys back?

These folks are off to get some Chicken Boer-Gurs!

Posted by dottie at 9:57 AM

Those inscrutable Japanese are at it again

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/03/HNnttspeech_1.html

They have invented voice recognition that requires no speech and a 3d cellular phone audio system that helps you find people as their voice seems to come from the direction of their physical location. Nice.

I remember there was this invention which I thought (and still do) was a great idea at the time. All I need now is a decoder ring!

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Finger whisper! A communications peripheral and personal hygiene device rolled into one!

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/342/C2320/

Posted by dottie at 8:15 AM

March 4, 2004

New search site

New web search tool. Check it out. Seems quite good.

http://www.teoma.com/

Posted by dottie at 11:21 AM

Ernie ball

Ernie Ball, the guitar string making company (plus accessories), were the poster child for Microsofts crackdown on software licensing. Aparently the problem arose for Ernie ball after the company upgraded its machines and shifted the old machines 'down the chain'. The machines were never reformatted so there were copies of Office, some design tools and the like still on the machines. Now the majority of this software was not being used by the inheritors of the PC's.

Microsoft came in to audit their software, based on the licenses that Ernie Ball already had. Microsoft uncovered the unlicensed software (as they knew they would) and threw the book at Ernie Ball. I think they eventually had to pay Micro$oft a million dollars and they had their name dragged through the courts and the press, the whole nine yards. They were made an example.

http://news.com.com/2008-1082-5065859.html

So Ernie ball decides to switch to Linux. Open source software the whole way, design packages, office software, accounting software. Everything open source. He saved a lot of money and raised the profitability and productivity of the company as there were reduced IT costs etc.

Now enter SCO. It is threatening lawsuits (and has started handing them out) on anyone who uses Linux software. Why? Because SCO says that Linux contains elements of its copyright software within it - I think mainly internet communication protocols and the like - pretty low level stuff, and pervasive.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3320401

Wouldnt it be a kick in the teeth if SCO launched a law suit against Ernie Ball for copyright infringement? Where would they go next?

Posted by dottie at 11:17 AM

Fontastic!

This site rocks! If you dont know what a particular font is, it will ask questions regarding the defining characteristics and then suggests the closest match(es)! Yay!

No more trawling through thousands of fonts to see if you can spot the match by eye (if you can still see!)

Identify a font »

Posted by dottie at 9:43 AM

March 3, 2004

Elliot smith

I'm listening to Elliot Smith right now - only found out last week that he topped himself!

Shit.

I dont want to become a brilliant song writer if thats going to happen!

The guy was a fucking genius. His songs just got under your skin. Nasty little things that festered and released psychoactive drugs straight into your bloodstream. Bitter love songs - yeah!

Say hi to Jeff for me wont 'cha?

Posted by dottie at 10:03 PM

Yeats by any other name...

Did a little experiment. used Babel fish to translate Yeats poem into a variety fo languages. Kinda nice.

English Original

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams

English to Japanese to English

The cloth and the light and the half light where I the gold is a cloth where the heaven which is decorated is embroidered, the silver make light of the night, blue and am dim, am dark, the cloth is expanded under your feet: But in I, being poor, there is only my dream; I expanded my dream under your feet; Being to step on with my dream, step on quietly

English to Japanese to English to Korean to English

The heaven clothing which in the clothing and the light and the place the I decorates in the gold place the half light, the night when it looks down, green onion Rang it puts a possibility, the cancer darkness huy the clothing is expanded in American grudge and the cancer your proposing lower part: But the I, from that place is grade my dream in inside,; Me in your proposing lower part it expanded my dream; Above above it steps it is to my dream and phase it is quite

English to Japanese to English to Korean to English to Chinese to English

In clothing and light and place I decoration in golden place heaven clothing, night when it looked gets down, the onion sounded it to invest the possibility, the cancer dark huy clothing is expanded is take pity on low in US which and the cancer you proposed: But I, from that place is the rank inside my dream,; I low it which proposed in you expanded my dream; In above above its cross step of it is and gradually uses it to my dream is quite

English to Japanese to English to Korean to English to Chinese to English to German to English

In the golden place skies clothes, at the night, when it receives down looked, the bulb it sounded to clothes and light and Platzi in the decoration, in order to invest the possibility, is the cancer, which darken huy clothes one extends, taking compassion on low in US those and in the cancer you suggested: But I, from this place is climbs within my dream,; I low it, which in you mean dream suggested extended; In mentioned above mentioned above are its cross step of it and gradual use, which are quite he to my dream

and just for fun the words of a recent popular song given the treatment:

I the god of the state of Ohio believes that the love is called that is touched me that it was touched to be, me touched

Answers on a postcard please....

Posted by dottie at 1:02 AM

Safe for work...

Just found this linked on Daypop, and I remembered the minimalist porn site too - so in a way this is a double entry!!

Safe for work Porn

Absolutely safe for work porn - just shapes and colors, honestly! Nothing lewd about it!!

p.s. I just noticed I am spelling colour in the American spelling. Its because when programming web browsers with HTML, Javascript and CSS you must always use color instead of colour as browsers were reared in milkshake land (what is Kelis' milkshake anyway???). I'll be hoping for normalcy, and reorganiZing my workspace to affect closure on my current issues. Oh my gawd! I'm turning american (someone get me a cheeseburger!)

Actually I'm glad the web browser wasnt invented by the Irish. It wouldnt have been finished (ah sure it'll be grand), HTML would have been spelt and pronounced differently depending on which part of the country you were looking at the web from (thats not Donegal HTML!), and no browser would work properly before 10:30 in the morning on account of having been on the sauce the night before.

Here's to those sober, hard-working, straight-laced, technicaly gifted American programmers who can complete a billion lines of code (but still cant spell....). Good on ya lads!

Posted by dottie at 12:11 AM

March 2, 2004

Cool illustrations

http://www.traum4tized.com/

Must find time to check this out properly.... off to work now! Well, I'll actually be still sitting right here, but no longer writing crap about web pages and stuff. Just writing crap webpages. And stuff. (sigh). My life has meaning. My life has meaning. My life has meaning. My life has meaning....

Posted by dottie at 9:24 AM

Rawck!!!

http://www.traum4tized.com/mosh/mosh.swf

Posted by dottie at 9:17 AM

March of comrade crab

Q. How do you deal with an invasion of huge crabs?
A. Eat them!

Stalin crabs

These brutes apparently were brought into Russia by Stalin to provide food for Norht Western Russians. There was a population explosion in the early 90's and now the crabs are migrating down the coasts of Norway. Having no natural predators means the crabs thrive.

Their legs are apparently a delicacy though, fetching $15 per pound. A single leg is enough to provide a filling meal for a grown man!

Posted by dottie at 9:02 AM

Colour Schemes

Hmm. Interesting. Some of the schemes suggested by this are hideous and others are harmonious. I presume the same algorithm for selecting colours is used no matter what base colour you choose, so I wonder why some schemes are harmonious and others are not?

I found the schemes that had pastel elements were the nicest. The bold primary colours mostly didnt work for me.

http://pixy.cz/apps/barvy/index-en.html

Posted by dottie at 8:52 AM