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April 30, 2005
I am ten ninjas.
| I AM TEN NINJAS! Awesome! You scored 52%! |
| Awesome! Real ultimate power! |
My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The How ninja are you? Test written by xkadeex on Ok Cupid |
Posted by Daniel at 01:47 AM | Comments (0)
Why I want to live on the USS Enterprise
1. there are replicators
2. holodecks
3 the perfect mix of lights indoors all the time and perpetual night outside. It's like the perfect metaphor for the human condition.
4. You get to live next to people without having to share bathrooms.
5. best view in the universe
6. 24 hour everything.
7. free transportation.
8. I'd move anywhere that had shuttlecraft and/or phasers
Really, it's the perfect urban living environment with all of the major energy and perishable concerns already dealt with. The apex of urban design and public planning. Plus, the doors open and close automatically. And they aren't transparent. Why do doors on earth seem to do both or neither. I want opaque, self-opening doors. Not too much to ask for as it is 2005. We were promised flying cars, robot maids, and the metric system. As an American, I have none. Not cool.
Posted by Daniel at 01:15 AM | Comments (0)
April 29, 2005
Exploding Frogs
What else is there to say here? Frogs are exploding and no one knows why. Sounds like a sign of the apocalypse to me. Seriously folks, this isn't cool. Silent Spring was one thing, but this is out of control. Let's stop blowing up frogs. You know it's out faults somehow. Who else does stuff like this?
Posted by Daniel at 02:09 AM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2005
Damn Poetry
Headline on the ad for the evening news tonight, "A loaded gun has deadly consequences for a young boy." We can't just say "Kid gets shot" or my preference, start every night with a list of things that are bad. Starting with guns. It's like with gender neutral language "Intimate Partner Violence" instead of "Wife Beating." Everyone's trying to be dramatic or poetic when they could just tell the truth. We have enough trouble just getting that much from the news these days. Heaven help us if we're supposed to read betweeen the lines too. I don't think it's alot to ask in the dyas of photographic menus and cash registers at fast food places. Let's just be simple. Literacy has become optional. There was a Wal-Mart commercial talking about it today. If Wal-Mart has taken the time to notice it in the process of destroying independent buisness and creating suburban sprawl on an epic scale, then it must be a reasonably serious issue. Keep it simple and true.
Posted by Daniel at 12:37 AM | Comments (3)
April 23, 2005
I'm a Teenage Pin-up.
So yeah, it's been an interesting 20 hours or so. Last night I get a random call from Missy to go see her girlfriend sing. I go to visit, nice meetup with the NZ folks (only half of which were drunk--for them a big imporvement). Apparently Adreinne and Missy neglected to mention that the performance was part of Trnas Awareness week or somesuch thing. Which was great because I got to hear on of my fav UD performers, Innocence Bello. One tiny problem with this. In the middle of her performance she looks at me and points (we have not met or spoken in our lives. I saw her once at the Vagina Monologues and that's it.) Then she asks me (like ten minutes after I've walked in) if I "was in the paper two years ago for art or something," I reply that I was, but not for art, although I understand why she might have thought I was displaying a small pewter sculpture. (f you'd seen the photo, you'd understand. It's not so hot.) She then informs me and the rest of the audience that she's had my photograph in her cubicle for the past two years. Wow. Horribly embarrassing. And horrid photo. So that started things off oddly. The night progressed to the point where the drunk NZ girls were yelling at the top of their lungs for Missy's girlfriend, Kelly Ricketts who claims she enjoyed the new groupies. (It was supposed to be a dry event.) I walked back to the netherland of Laird with Adrienne who told me that I and her Jewish friends were all going to hell and that I had sinned aproximately 4 billion(!) times in my life, and that she wouldn't go out on a date with God. Also, despite my water-tight argument, she did not believe that Orlando Bloom could ver well be God. This morning, I woke at 8 AM (a mere five hours since I went to bed) to discover a vaguely familiar high pitched sustained beep in my room. I went back to sleep as it continued for several hours. Finally aroudn noon I began to search for the source. It was my UPS. Not like a box that gets shipped, like an APC UPS powerbackup for my computer. It's power had been interrupted or something and wanted to make sure I knew. Thanks UPS. Odd events of the past few hours, even for me.
Posted by Daniel at 01:21 PM | Comments (1)
April 22, 2005
Can't say I didn't warn you
I've mentioned this in parts before, but I thought it best to put it here for future reference. The world is in serious trouble. Apart from the obvious issues like the energy crisis (no moe oil, electricity, or hydrocarbons), poverty, starvation, disease, and the futures of a plauge that will ravage humanity, there are other issues as well. Should we manage to survive a giant piece of space dust colliding with the planet, and our over use of antibiotics doesn't create a superbacteria that kills us all overnight, if the avian or spanish flu doesn't show up again, and HIV doesn't become airborne, if we manage to overcome the little problem of carrying capacity and manage to fed all our people, if we can survive the pollution we've created, grow crops that don't kill us and don't take up the entire planet's usable land creating a continual process of desertification, if we overcome the political and ideological apathetic slump we've fallen into, if we don't fall preey to religious fundimentalism, if we get actual human rihts for everyone, start treating animals fairly, and develop new ways to look beyond the color of people's skin, the presence or lack of a Y chromosome, nationality, race, sexual orientation, religion, lack or overuse of hair dye and/or body piercings--even if we do all that, we've got a long way to go. If it's Us v. the Universe, my money's on the Universe. Best of luck, and don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted by Daniel at 03:14 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2005
Neglected Card Games
We've all been there. Family gatherings, small children, boring nights. Any one of these siuations can lead to the playing of various card games. There are some more and some less sophisticated games that can be played with a deck of cards. I've never quite understood poker, which to the best of my knowledge relies on random chance and your ability and willingness to lie and gamble. If that's accurate, it explains why I don't like the game much, not being a fan of random chance, lying, or gabling. There's also bridge which seems to be segregated by sex and age so I've never been introduced. There are the very juvenile games that involved laying down cards and hitting other people. And finally, there are the best games that require little skill and energy, but no physical violence. Go Fish, for example.
In the recent poker boom--it's really a general trend of being lied to and robbed by mean people, the Bush Administration, for example--there's been more attention brought to card games that I thought had died out in old folks homes and the red states and other places that allow gunslinging in bar fights. I want to start a Go-Fish World tournament and a Celebrity Go-Fish show. It'd be great. No risk, no gain. Just friendly conversation and good memory building skillls. No association with alcohol or tobacco either. You're healthier and smarter already. Fun for the whole family.
Posted by Daniel at 05:45 AM | Comments (1)
Why Fix What Ain't Broken?
There are so many things that need to be fixed and imprved upon by progress. I will try my hardest to avoid listing them. But there are so many things that should be appreciated and not glossed over because of their seeming retro qualities. So many of our daily devices have been altered to save us a few seconds in our lives at the expense of the truly beautiful. From writing utensils to timepieces, the little thins make such a difference. Sure, it takes longer to fill and care for a fountain pen than it does a disposable Bic™®. But it's fun. And if you've never used a pen with a good nib, you're missing out big time. Go to the Fountain Pen Hospital or Levenger to learn more about these remarkable devices. Also, remember that these aren't your grandfather's dip pens. Fountain pens toda are leaps an bounds beyond their disposable contemporaries and their ancestors. i would be remiss if I did not mention that you really ought to get good paper as well. Nothing feels quite as good as a properly bound composition nootebook or journal. And I don't even use either but I love the tactile sensation of writing in both. The recent rise of Notabilia by Levenger and return of Moleskine makes this the perfect time to try out real paper and binding. If you read or write, you owe it to yourself to do it right. No pun intended. All these companies provide products and services that are amazing for the literary consumers you know.
I know you all keep time. It's kinda important these days. And as much as I love the simplicity of the old Shark and Timex watches, there's a whole other world out there. Swatch has done some amazing things with analog and digital watches. Digital has it's place, but there's a whole different joy in watching the hands click around a good chronograph.
What is progress if we leave behind all the best things we've developed. Newer does not equate to better. This applies to buildings too. Adaptive reuse is a term you all need to get used to. Viva la CHAD!
Posted by Daniel at 04:06 AM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2005
New Zealand Photos have Arrived!
Dear me. This took a very long time and a lot of work. A PowerMac G5, 23" Cinema Display, fireWire Harddrive, iPhoto, 1and1 webhosting, JAlbum, and about ten hours. Some very odd things happened while I was trying to get this straightened out. Seems that iPhoto somehow duplicated all my photos but the originals were about three thousand pixels wide, while the duplicates were about 200 pixels wide. had to sort that out. Then titling all of them. Anyways, HERE they are. Have fun.
NOTE: When I posted thist, it was all uploading, it might take until ten or so to send it all up. be patient and don't send me error reports until tomorrow.
P.S. I'd like to advise everyone to NOT click on the purchase button. You do not want prints from 800x600 shots. Email me with the serial number of the photo(s) you want. I'll post the actual files for the requested files somewhere. I need rest now.
Posted by Daniel at 08:41 PM | Comments (2)
Gizoogle
Wow. Just check it out. There's not really a way to explain. Click here for an amazing sample.
See what the critics are saying:
"It's Powerful scripting." -Dominic Serio
Posted by Daniel at 07:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2005
StreetStudio Rocks My World.
Update: You know what's great? When I actually include a link to the site in question. Wow.
These people are amazing, and the work they're doing is going to be such a great exibit in a museum in fifty years. Talk about recoring the vernacular. Womderful, I say. I'm just waiting for the book and DVD.
Posted by Daniel at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2005
The Internet is Dirty
This is a sad day. Last week, I was researching on Google for some rainy day entry material. I went to use it todat, and when going through my usual highly-rigorous and intensive fact-checking procedure, I discovered a sad fact. In the last week, the internet has gone from more funny than sexy to more sex-filled than funny. My data was collected in a highly scientific manner becoming a study of this caliber. Thanks be to Google!
Last week-
"porn" 27,100,000
"lol 21,700,000
(Both allegedly out of 8,058,044,651 pages)
This week-
"porn" 39,100,000
"lol 36,700,000
(Both allegedly out of 8,058,044,651 pages)
This clearly provides irrefutable evidence that although the internet is gaining steadily in humor, it is moving more quickly towards pornographic material. No longer can I proudly say that I use an internet that is funnier than it is dirty. A sad day for humanity.
There are clearly issues with Google's statistics. Both show exactly the same number of pages being searched. Coincidence or conspiracy? Ask Gillette.
Posted by Daniel at 07:59 PM | Comments (1)
April 13, 2005
The Gillette Conspiracy
If you're like me, you most likely thought that this battery powered razor thing was a little odd. I mean, why put power in something that's not an electric razor? Simple. If you're the Gillette company, you also own Duracell. The battery people. Like we need more electric devices. Coincedently, they also own Oral-B and some others. Makes sense. Half your bathroom was created by them. What you didn't know was that you're being photographed and tracked by radio frequency. Or at least, that's what someone wants you to think. I'll let you be the judge. If what they're saying is true, a photo is taken of you at the store, corresponding to the RFID chip in the packaging. A photo can also be taken at checkout with your credit card info attached. The RFID chip is then used as a marker to track your movements. Sounds far fetched to me. Plus, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't carry toiletry packaging with me at all times. Generally I disgard it rather quickly. Also, I use a straight razor. I guess that disqualifies me from the traking program. Now I have to go buy an Oral-B toothbrush. Not kidding.
Posted by Daniel at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)
Killing cats is Bad.
I don't even know where to start with this one. Just because they're called 'songbirds' doesn't mean they're nice. Circle of Life and all that jazz. Meanwhile, we do have a serious feral cat issue that needs to be dealt with. Badly. but not by shotting cats. That's not a solution. It's murder. Abortion is still fine, and the death penalty is bad. Killing cats is worse. They didn't get a fair trial. Or any trial. Protect the cats. Call PETA or something.
Posted by Daniel at 03:24 PM | Comments (3)
April 12, 2005
How I feel about hybrids
I have now driven the Toyota Prius and the Honda Accord, Civic, and Insight. All hybrid models. The systems vary slightly between models and brands, but the theory is the same. Combine an electric motor and a gasoline engine to create bettter fuel economy. Well, it works. Sort of. With the exception of the Accord (and it's 255 bhp), all the vehicles were significantly slow on the uptake. The Insight (first on U.S. roads) compensated by giving the maximum torque below 2000 rpm. This allows for quite speedy acceleration at low speeds. Essentially, driving around town is fine, it only feels underpowered when merging onto I-95. The Prius was just oo busy. Toyota tried too hard to be techy. The displays for everything are located in places that are simply too much of a diversion while driving to be of much use. I also had the most trouble with rear visibility in the Prius. I think what they all need is a nice propane jet engine to help with the 0-60 bit. I think I'm going to aim for the Insight on my next car purchase. but a California or New York model. Better emissions. Check it out. I'm still waiting for Hydrogen fuel cells. I want to get rid of gasoline entirely.
Posted by Daniel at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2005
Sightcasting
Another Update: So, BBC ran a piece on podcasting in the next election. Check it out.
Update: See my sample SightCast!
Podcasting sucks. for those of you who haven't been exposed to it, count yourselves lucky. In a nutshell, it's an audio blog. People record themselves talking about their lives and opinions instead of just writing. Why is this a problem? Because I listen to iTunes while I'm online. So to listen to this glorification of on-demand radio, I have to pause iTunes and listen to poorly recorded audio.
I'm all about multimedia. I just think that it should ddo more or not be used. I'd be all about Sightcasting (Using an iSight to record audio and video for online consumption). That'd just be neat. Why don' we see more of that? This could be just video of the person talking, which I think would provide a fun personal touch, or it could entail actual editing, and real video could be incorporated. Even if it's just still images. Just something to think about.
Posted by Daniel at 05:00 PM | Comments (4)
April 10, 2005
Enemies of the Academy
Intelligence is treated as a disability. This is unacceptable. Those possessed of sound mind and prone to logic inquiry are for the first time since the Renaissance being looked upon as a dangerous threat to society by the public. Schooling is required more and more, while education is frowned upon. This endangers the intellectual future of the human endeavor and opens the door to a new Dark Age.
The first serious internal threat to human intellectual progress has emerged. Intelligent thought enjoys a unique relationship to human history. When tragedy strikes and suffering abounds, introspection, research, and progress are at their best. Human progress requires an impetus. Some of the most amazing advances in science and the arts have come from some sort of external stress. When are scientists more valued then during wars and plagues? We begin to create masterpieces when we are under the greatest emotional stress. Simply, we are pushed to our limits under stress, and the fruits of our labors are greatest when we are at our limits.
The culture in which we currently live discourages learning. After being harassed by various branches of the US Military for recruiting purposes for over a year, I finally agreed to the summons. When I was interviewed, I also took a test known as the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). The particular practice test administered to me had been in used for almost fifty years. When I finished, I questioned the administrator on several aspects of the test. I encountered difficulty on several math problems. Namely, I realized that none of the multiple choice answers provided were correct. When I enquired, his answer was simple, "Oh, you're one of those." This simple statement speaks a great deal to the current state of the United States Armed Services and the type of individuals they seek to employ.
Five hundred years ago, the Catholic church, an institution based on strict adherence to dogma was one of the primary opponents of scientific progress. Today, religious zealots have been joined in their quest to send us all back to the 1300's. Schools no longer seek to teach, but to make students memorize information without applying the underlying concepts. This information is retained until the final examination and then discarded. The result is the creation of a generation of individuals who are incapable of independent thought, analysis, and discussion. The severe threat this poses to society as a whole can not be understated. We, along with the rest of the industrialized world, live in a democracy. This form of government relies entirely on the education and independent thought of the entire adult population. If individuals are taught simply to memorize and recite, it is not surprising that the dogma of political parties has replaced that of the church in recent years--they too provide a set of commandments and sins, and excommunication can be dangerous.
How can we expect people to make educated choices about medical care they receive if there is no expectation of basic scientific literacy--or literacy at all for that matter. Fast food restaurants now employ the use of pictograms instead of language to denote the items being ordered. We are regressing as a society and a race to the point of our most primitive development. Action must be taken.
The situation calls for a full-scale redesign of education on all levels, federal funding, and the use of technology. A new mandate should be established, outlining the goals for human progress. Aimless wandering supported solely by private investors is dangerous to us all. Our brightest minds must not be whored out to the highest bidders. A system to protect them, their minds, and us all from ideas which could fall into the wrong hands must be established. The Senate long ago declared that many former Soviet nuclear scientists had gone missing in the collapse of the Soviet Union, along with large amounts of sensitive material. Every bright mind should be concerned with their discipline, not with grants and funding requests. Most certainly, they should not have to deal with concerns over present political tides. The currents of ideas and development must be shielded from governmental whims. Without direct and broad action immediately, the future of our very civilization is at risk.
Posted by Daniel at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)
Is Michael Jackson God?
Then a lawyer asked our Lord Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus' answer: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart... Matthew 22:36-40
The Spirit of the Lord is on me. Luke 4:18
Plus the whole 'God is Love' thing has to add some points. What all this seems to suggest to me is that God (who is overwhelmingly referred to as He throughout the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures). What this seems to mandate is that all Christians are required by the law of God to love Him first and foremost above all others. That includes spouses or significant others. Let's not forget all the people who can't stop talking about how much they love Jesus, too. It sounds to me like God is telling everyone to love Him, including men. And we've established that God is referred to as male. Sound gay to anyone else?
Luke 4:17-21: "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him (Jesus). And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed me..." Now there's oil involved. Sounds a lot more like Michael Jackson to me than anything else. There's that whole part in Genesis where he decides that he wants people to stop getting so old. You know Michael would do that if he could. I'm going scripture hunting to see what else I can find. But it's overwhelmingly clear already that God is into young men, and maybe a little S&M (the whole laws thing). There's room for an incest argument, too. But I'll not go there just now.
I'm so going to hell for this (Sorry, I couldn't resist the shamelessly stolen graphic.)
Posted by Daniel at 01:12 AM | Comments (4)
April 09, 2005
Ways to generate web traffic
Trafffic has doubled in the past week due only to the brief mention of Toby Lehman, from the Levi's ad. We're the second result for the name on Google at the moment, and much of our traffic is coming from that simple search. Just to let everyone know, we are not affiliated with Mr. Lehman in any way. There was some feedback that suggested people might have been confused about our relationship to JetSet Models or Toby Lehman. One person even asked about autographed photos. Their best chance would be to contact his agency directly. They are located in La Jolla, California, and to the best of my knowledge, Mr. Lehman resides in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Someone needs to start a fansite for this kid. Even amoung local friends, there's been a stir. Jennifer Westfall of Newark, Delaware wants to engage in highly illegal activities with the child, while she herself has been investigating Zoophile.net and has recently aquired two gay male rabbits who routinely engage in some of the activities for which rabbits are best known. For more information and photos, click here.
In other news, I have an appointment to testdrive a Honda Insight today. This will round off my hybrid testdrives. I've already driven the Civic, Accord, and Prius, but the Insight has long been my favorite. I'll post a full review of all four when I'm done. It will, however, contain no mention of Toby Lehman. Have a pleasant tomorrow.
Posted by Daniel at 12:28 AM | Comments (2)
April 08, 2005
RSS and Monaco
I ended by watching Jay Leno and witnessed (and Tivo-ed, video coming soon!) a boy from West Virginia inflate a balloon with his armpit. Rounded off the early morning writing this and listening to Joni Mitchell, who rarely helped anyone feel happy. good night.
Also, for those of you who didn't know, to add to the recent famous death toll, Prince Rainier of Monaco just died. He's the guy who rules a dictatorship half the size of central park and married Grace Kelly. It's a sad blow to the happy dictatorship. Also, to conclude the randomness, I wanted to include a brief summary to clarify my position on death.
DEATH
good:
abortion, right to die, suicide
bad:
death penalty, war, murder
That about sums it up. Have a great weekend if I don't see you.
Posted by Daniel at 01:38 AM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2005
Car Shopping Fun (or not)
I am entering the final days of my automobile search ans shopping. I really just want to pick something and then deal with finances. In the process of the past few years, I've looked at pretty much every method of transportation, and have very few final contenders. I wanted something small with excellent performance, handling, fuel economy, and emissions. This left me with two paths, the hybrid vehicles of Honda and Toyota and small sports coupes. Frankly, what I'm really interested in is a more powerful version of the Vandenbrink Carver, but they're not street legal here. I've test driven the Prius, Civic Hybrid, and Accord Hybrid. I was unimpressed with pickup in both the Prius and the Civic, but the Accord was more than amply equipt in this area. Then aain, it is significantly larger than I'm loking for and has essentially the same gas mileage as a MINI Cooper. I really like the Insight by Honda, but no one has one in stock to test, and the acceleration worries me. Now I hear rumors of a redesigned update on the Insight capable of up to 90 mpg, which might be worth whatever sacrifices are made in the 0-60 range. Also, many vehciles sold in California seem to have significantly lower emissions, which makes me consider purchasing a vehicle there and driving it back here. in any event, I have decided that there is no perfect vehicle at present, and I want the flying cars that we were promised years ago. Or at least Hydrogen fuel-cells. Where's an FCX when you need it?
Posted by Daniel at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2005
The wonders of personal web publishing
I spent a lot of my day today working on some seemingly simple problems, which it seems had actually simple solutions, which I took the long way around. But you'll notice some neat little changes to the site with lots more to come soon. Mainly, and this is the one I'm most proud of, there's no longer either a forwarding page or a long filepath. It's just DanielSiders.com Isn't that simpler and nicer? It makes bookmarking so much easier. You should all update your bookmarks.
Another tidbit for the curous, I thought it went along well with the recent news. I bought this a few months ago when a friend was in town. I literally couldn't stop laughing for several hours. Here it is!
Help Wanted Anyone who has any ideas about what they'd like to see here during my redesign, or on content, please let me know.
Posted by Daniel at 03:23 AM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2005
Who is Toby Lehman and why is his "Impression" in my magazine?
See the FULL SIZE ad that started it all. It's rather gratuitous size-wise, since it's a 20D image.
Posted by Daniel at 09:01 AM | Comments (12)
I see dead people (on CNN)
I'm tired of hearing baout dead people. Not about hearing they died, just about them after they're dead. Especially annoying ones that we've been waiting to get rid of for so long. You know the two I'm talking about. Neither have been conscous for the past god knows how long. Now here's what I really don't get. The second one to die caused a lot of problems. Especially for some people who love them some doctrine. I am not one of them. But here's the thing. If you don't like or follow the doctrine, leave the group. Now while you still have a chance. Hope this didn't make sense to anyone else. Live free or die. That includes the catholics and terri schiavo.
Posted by Daniel at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2005
Spring Break
UPDATE: yeah, I'm back now. please return to your regularly scheduled programming.
Had a lovely lecture yesterday in Women's Studies about how to please avoid getting raped over spring break. I am now terrified. We also got a lesson CSI-style abou thow to preserve the chain of evidence and how to collect and contain our own urine. lots of fun. I'm going to Disney World, the rape-capitol of spring break, so I really better watch out. Hope everyone has a fabulous time. I'll be home until wednesday if you want to give me a call. For those of you who will miss me desperately, you can see my smiling face here.
Posted by Daniel at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)