More Flickr photos

Welcome to the Transformed Planet, a snapshot of my world. More Information Here. Site layout is still rough; pardon the dust.

MOST RECENT LINKS

MOST RECENT POSTS

Sun, 17 Feb 2008

Children of Jihad: A Young American's Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East

I normally don't write a review of a book until I've finished it (which means I hardly ever write book reviews, because I've been so bad at finishing books lately), but I really wanted to post about how much I am enjoying Jared Cohen's Children of Jihad. While its subtitle, A Young American's Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East, sums up the book's subject nicely, it doesn't convey how truly insightful the book is. Cohen gained this insight by doing a seemingly simple thing: he listened to people. He sat with them, ate with them, and listened as they told him about their lives, their dreams, their aspirations, their problems. By doing this, he gained a much more complete, coherent picture of the Middle East than any of number of "political analysts" or cultural experts. This is a great book if you want to understand more about the true plight of people in the Muslim world. I'll write a more complete review when I finish the book.

Update: I've finished Children of Jihad, and I have to say my opinion hasn't changed; it's excellent. If you've ever asked yourself how millions of people in the Middle East can hate the entire Western world, this book reveals the truth: they don't. Cohen knows this because he went to the Middle East and talked to them. Even when some groups have grievances with America, they most often were with the US government and US policy than with Americans themselves. (Let's face it: who doesn't have a beef with the US government right now?) Based on Cohen's travels, the problem mostly lies with that small minority of people that do hate the West as a collective, for various reasons. Unfortunately, in several countries those hardline "Death to America" people are in control of their governments, keeping a stranglehold on power and thus being the most visible people in the news media. Not that "the media" is the sole reason for the distorted view that the Middle East and the West have of each other, but doesn't seem to have helped matters much. Reading Children of Jihad definitely gave me a better perspective on the Middle East and its people. Most importantly, it gave me this perspective by using the best source of all: the people themselves.

Posted at 03:29 in /books/completed ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 22 Jan 2008

Resolutions

I originally planned to post a list of my new year's resolutions, but especially now that January is mostly over, I think the following is a more healthy attitude to resolutions:

Posted at 04:18 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 15 Jan 2008

Favorite TV Show

Pop Quiz: what's my favorite TV show? Some would guess a science fiction show like Stargate: SG-1 or Doctor Who. Others would guess The Office. Well, you're all wrong: my favorite television show, the one I can't miss each week even if it's a rerun, is the exquisite joy that is Top Gear!

"I've got 93,000,000 miles of headroom..."

The first thing you'll notice about Top Gear (besides the British accents) is the car reviews. No, reviews isn't accurate; Top Gear doesn't review cars as much as makes beautiful short films. Whether taking a Lamborghini around their track or a Fiat 500 through a snowy landscape, Top Gear makes cars into art. The show's cinematographers lavish attention on the machines and their environments, often pairing their visual art with perfectly matched soundtracks. The results more resemble music videos than objective, informative segments. In addition, especially if there's a danger of a car looking boring, they will add other elements, enhancing the film aspect as much as the car. The "race" between a Fiat 500 and BMX bikers, and the parkour video disguised as a race with a Peugeot, were simply excuses to create exciting, engaging visuals. Top Gear is never boring.

How hard could it be?

But Top Gear doesn't just make car films. Besides the magnificent cinematography, the show also features various races and challenges all over the world. Some are just funny, like their treks across the American Southeast or Africa. Others are slightly more serious and make use of the aforementioned cinematic brilliance, such as their adventure across France, Italy, and Switzerland to find the perfect road for driving. Still others, like the attempt to cross the English Channel in homemade amphibious cars, are little more than publicity stunts, but are so ridiculously hilarious you just have to watch anyway.

You look like a gay cowboy, and you look like a gay terrorist.

Lavish car videos, silly stunts, and epic adventures are fun and all, but Top Gear just wouldn't work without its presenters to pull it all together. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are the unique group that brings Top Gear together and makes it work unlike any other show. It's obvious these guys are genuine friends (they have to be as much as they snipe and play tricks on each other). Sure, it's played up for effect on television, but put these guys together on an adventure to the Arctic or a 24-hour race on the Isle of Man, and they're just fun to watch. And yet, despite all the silliness, they manage to make the show intelligent at the same time. What other program can make snide remarks about the nation's political situation, crack jokes about its network's (and its own) editorial practices, interview an Oscar-winning actress, and show you the lush landscapes of Italy and Switzerland, all in the same hour?

Oh yeah, and of course, there's that other, mysterious presenter. How tame of a racing driver is he really? All we know is, he's called The Stig.

There's not really an equivalent to Top Gear on American television. It's both smart and silly, friendly and mean, joking and seriously beautiful. As BBC America says, "It's fun with cars." But don't take my word for it, watch the Season 10 Preview:

Posted at 02:08 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 19 Dec 2007

Portfolio

For the curious, the photos I selected for my Intro to Digital Photography class are now on Flickr. Some of these have been seen before on Flickr and Lovable Quirks, but most have been edited in some form or another for class. I should also point out these were originally really meant to be printed, so they might not look as good on your screen as they did when I printed them. The colors, brightness, etc., may be a bit off. But hey, why not have a look? You might even find yourself in there...

Posted at 01:56 in /photography ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 18 Dec 2007

Graduations Party

Both Floyd (husband of Tara, father of Faolan) and Pat (wife of Bill, mother of many) recently earned the college degrees they had been working toward, so a celebration was in order. It was a great party that brought together long absent friends and new faces. It's always a pleasure to host a party for such wonderful people. (Joanna, those cupcakes were indeed awesome!)

Posted at 01:28 in /lovablequirks ( 0 comments ) permalink

Mon, 17 Dec 2007

Postscript: Chicago

I returned to the States via Chicago O'Hare Airport. Never having been to Chicago in winter, this Phoenician had quite forgotten just how cold winter could be; though I had brought winter gear with me to Europe, the weather there had become unseasonably warm by the time we had reached Germany. So snow and ice was something I had not thought of until I got back to the US. Despite the cold, I adjusted well enough to wander around downtown and snap a few shots.

After my Chicago layover, it was home to Phoenix again. Combined with my Christmas visit with my parents, I had spent nearly a month away from home (something the $DayJob at the time was a little chagrined about, as I had taken advantage of some loopholes in the system to cram that much vacation time together). I must say, it was a trip I will never forget.

Posted at 02:46 in /travels/gte2007 ( 0 comments ) permalink

Postscript: London

Before my flight back to the States, I got a chance to wander around parts of Kensington in London. These are pretty much just random shots I took as I walked around the city. I have to say London is my favorite city in the world (at least so far!).

Posted at 02:23 in /travels/gte2007 ( 0 comments ) permalink

Photo Album: Germany

(picking up the story from the last episode posted)

Skyler and I made our way from Austria to Germany with no border control problems (since there was no border crossing between Austria and Germany to worry about). Our first stop was the picturesque Bavarian city of Bamberg. The River Regnitz runs through the middle of the town, and the ceremonial town hall actually sets on an island in the river.

The next stop in Germany, and the last stop of our tour together, was a visit with Skyler's friends near Cologne (Köln, in the local tongue). Skyler and I got to visit the city and see the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom), yet another ancient cultural treasure. I was so happy to become friends with Maria, Cathin, and Andre (the family Clemens), and they took very good care of us during our visit. I was very sad when the time came to leave, but unfortunately I had a transatlantic flight to catch in London.

Traveling through eastern Europe was a unique experience I will always treasure. I had an excellent traveling companion, I saw things I had only read about in books, and met people I never would have otherwise. What more could one want in their travels?

Posted at 01:26 in /travels/gte2007 ( 0 comments ) permalink

Sun, 16 Dec 2007

Loose Threads

The year 2007 has been a year of, shall we say, transformation for me and for many around me. There's been so many events, and there remain several loose threads that should be wrapped up now before the year is done.

Posted at 21:29 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Thu, 22 Nov 2007

Black Friday 2007

So yeah, we're doing a Black Friday campout again this year. I'll try to blog about it using my Jaiku account, and any photos will be on Flickr (which should show up here). Big sales, here we come!

Update: No blog posts, no photos, because we decided not to go at the last minute. The sales this year just weren't as good as previous years', and we all decided to forget it and sleep in.

Posted at 16:37 in /misc ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 13 Nov 2007

Cool Toys

What cool toys popped up in my web browser this morning!

ACCESS Garnet VM Beta for Nokia Nseries Tablets: Run Palm apps on your Nokia Internet Tablet. I admit I was against this idea originally, and having Palm apps sit in the middle of the screen does indeed look bad, but then again, I've got tons of Palm stuff--I have to try this out.

Jaiku invite: Jaiku has been closed to new users since Google bought them, but if you know someone who's already a member, you can get an invite from them. Now I can try out Mauku even though I missed the launch party last week.

Posted at 09:27 in /tech ( 0 comments ) permalink

Sun, 04 Nov 2007

Ken's Birthday Party 2007

So Ken's birthday party was a dress-up affair, which explains the interesting costumes, including this stab at punk-ness. I probably shouldn't say anything else.

Posted at 20:04 in /lovablequirks ( 0 comments ) permalink

Adventures in Boston

So I finally got around to posting photos from the trip Rory and I took to Boston. I had a couple of days between the job change and decided to take advantage of them. Rory, like me, had never been to Boston, and was up for the adventure.

Boston is unique among American cities (or at least the ones I've been to so far) in that it is a very European city. It's more than that, really: it could have been plucked from somewhere in 18th century Britain or Ireland and deposited on American shores, ready to grow like a transplanted flower or bush. Rory and I both were struck by how much various parts of the city, both historical and modern, resemble parts of London. Of course, this is due to Boston's nearly 400-year history: it was settled by English, traded mostly with England before and after the American Revolution, and despite modern skyscrapers encroaching on centuries-old buildings, still tries to maintain some of it's Old World character. Successive waves of Irish settlers have left their mark as well, as Irish pubs are around every corner and are filled with foreign-born Irish and their descendants. Where Chicago seems to be a city with American character, Boston strikes me as a holdover from our colonial-era past.

Nowhere is Boston's link to the past more evident than on the Freedom Trail, a red line marked on Boston sidewalks that connects some 15 of the city's most historic places dating back to the Revolutionary era. The estimates of 2.5 miles for this stroll through US history cannot be accurate, as it took us most of an afternoon to meander the streets to the other end. The distance given must be some sort of joke Bostonians use to keep tourists on the path and out of their way. Still, we managed to see some very interesting historical places (Old North Church, the Bunker Hill Memorial) coupled with some very beautiful ones (Boston Common, Boston Harbor).

Travelers should note: don't rely completely on guidebooks, as even this year's Lonely Planet guide was woefully out-of-date. Also, take Bostonian directions with a grain of salt, as we asked 5 people for directions and got 5 different answers. Still, I really liked exploring this city, and would definitely like to go back someday.

Posted at 19:57 in /travels ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 16 Oct 2007

Boston Update

For those wondering, the trip to Boston was great! I'll post more when I've waded through all the photos we took.

Posted at 04:36 in /travels ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 10 Oct 2007

Leaving the Inferno

The Guide and I into that hidden road
Now entered, to return to the bright world;
And without care of having any rest

We mounted up, he first and I the second,
Till I beheld through a round aperture
Some of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear;

Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars.

Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Inferno, Canto XXXIV

Posted at 11:43 in /personal/catharsis ( 0 comments ) permalink

Awkward Silences

I am not usually one to comment about work on my blog, mostly because it's dangerous, but also because it's boring. Since tomorrow is my last day at $OldDayJob, though, I decided to indulge myself.

Those that know me in Real Life know I tend to babble sometimes. Those that know me a little better know one of the reasons why: I cannot stand awkward silences. An awkward silence in a conversation means there is space to be filled. I've always taken awkward silences as a bad thing. I think if I just explain things a little further, the other people in the conversation will understand, especially when the subject is technical. Usually I end up weakening my stance and compromising. If it's a technical thing, I usually end up doing it myself.

After turning in my resignation two weeks ago, the $OldDayJob did something I never expected: they effectively ignored it. Oh, the proper people were notified, necessary documents generated, and sorrowful tidings exchanged. The people running the project to which I was assigned, however, acted completely oblivious. This project and everyone associated with it had been in panic mode well before I joined it 2.5 weeks ago (I'd only been on the project a few days when I gave notice). They continued to expect me to work miracles with the system they had put together despite the fact I had been dropped into the middle of the project after it was supposed to be in production. Then they apparently expected me to implement a new design for the system in days even though I had never worked with some of the technology in question before. I was more than a little shocked by this behavior; any other time I have left a job of my own accord, the last two weeks are spent training others to cover for me until a replacement can be found. I couldn't believe they had decided to ignore the fact I was leaving and depend on me to work all hours of the night and weekend to accomplish something well beyond my skill set up to the point I had my exit interview.

Eventually, I realized things could not continue. I could not build the stuff they wanted in their impossible timeframe, and I needed to train some people to take over some other things after I left. That's when a friend of mine (who isn't cool enough to have a website) gave me some advice: "Don't try to keep explaining to them. Don't use words like 'I feel' or 'I believe.' Just tell them you can't do it, give them short, direct answers why, and let them deal with the awkward silence." So that's exactly what I did.

Those awkward silences turned from a weakness into a tool. A weapon even.

In fact, it forced someone on the team to finally acknowledge I was leaving. As the dead air on the phone line lingered, I could almost hear the wheels finally starting to turn in the guy's head as it dawned on him the he needed to find a replacement for me, and probably should have been looking already.

Awkward silences can be powerful.

Posted at 02:49 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Fri, 28 Sep 2007

New Job

#/usr/bin/perl

use Job;

my $DayJob = new Job;

Yep, I have a new $DayJob, starting in October. I think it's an exciting opportunity, and I'll be working with a great group of people. A weird, funny, frustrating thing happened yesterday when I tried to turn in my 2 week notice: I couldn't find anyone to tell them I quit. There's an HR person at my branch in Phoenix, but all of my bosses are in the headquarters in another state, and apparently all were attending a fire drill or bomb scare (or coffee break) until afternoon yesterday. So trying to find someone to give notice to proved...difficult. Eventually I was successful, and surprise and confusion ensued, but now it's settled.

Time to move on.

Posted at 12:39 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 26 Sep 2007

Now or Never...

I know there's got to be another level
Somewhere closer to the other side
And I'm feeling like it's now or never
Can I break the spell of the typical?
--Mute Math, "Typical," Mute Math

Posted at 10:59 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 11 Sep 2007

Memorial

Posted at 18:49 in /photography/photos ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tuc In

Posted at 12:38 in /photography/photos ( 0 comments ) permalink

Mon, 10 Sep 2007

Sunrise over Camp Verde, AZ

Posted at 13:13 in /photography/photos ( 0 comments ) permalink

Fri, 31 Aug 2007

HOWTO: Nokia N800 + Treo 680 + T-Mobile USA

The Nokia N800 Internet Tablet is a great bit of kit, but it isn't a phone. In many ways that's unfortunate since the massive majority of the US is not covered by WiFi. For those times you're not in the heights of civilization, the N800 supports connecting to the 'Net via a Bluetooth-capable phone. However, even though the N800's somewhat cryptic connection setup dialog boxes say they know how to connect to T-Mobile USA (my mobile carrier), in reality they don't always get things right. This appears to be mostly a combination of T-Mobile's inconsistency and the differences between mobile phones.

For this to work, in addition to the N800 and T-Mobile Internet service, you need a Bluetooth-enabled phone with Dial-Up Networking (DUN) support. The "standard" or "T-zones" service doesn't provide full Internet access and requires setting up a proxy server (I think). As usual, the Bluetooth-capable phone in question is my trusty Palm Treo 680.

1. Pair the N800 and the Treo via Bluetooth as normal. You can do this at the initial N800 setup or use the Phone applet in the Control Panel. This really shouldn't cause any problems. If you're using the N800 initial setup, you can attempt to define a connection, but it probably won't work.
2. After you've paired the phone, open the Control Panel and double-click the Connectivity icon. In the dialog box that appears, press the Connections button, which will open the Connections dialog box. Click the New button to start the Connection Setup process.
3. In the Connection Setup dialog box, click the Next button. On the "Name and type" page, type a name for your new connection, make sure GPRS is selected, and click Next.
4. The "Select cellular network type" dialog box will pop up; make sure the Cellular network is set to "GSM/UMTS" and click OK. This dialog box will close, and you'll be taken to the GPRS page of the Connection Setup dialog.
5. On the GPRS page, you'll have to make a couple of changes for the T-Mobile connection to work. The default Dial-up Number is wrong for T-Mobile USA; change it to: *99***1#
6. The Access point name is also wrong, but this depends somewhat on your service plan and area. Try internet2.voicestream.com first, as this is apparently the most "correct" and works most widely in the T-Mobile network. If this ultimately doesn't work, try internet3.voicestream.com or internet.voicestream.com. Click Next.
7. The final page of this dialog box is the Complete page. You shouldn't need to change any Advanced settings with a Treo 680, but if you're using another phone, you may have to (some Treo 650 owners have reported having to do this). Click the Finish button to return to the Connections dialog, then click Done to exit to the Connectivity dialog, and finally click OK to complete the setup process and return to the Control Panel.

Now it's time to see if your new connection works. Make sure Bluetooth is still enabled on your mobile phone. Click the connection icon in the N800's tray area, choose your new connection, and click the Connect button. The N800 should attempt to make a data call to connect the Treo (and itself) to the Internet. Sometimes this takes awhile; remember that Bluetooth is significantly slower than 802.11g WiFi, and T-Mobile USA is limited to EDGE (that's 2.75G) speeds. If everything worked, eventually the N800's connection icon will stop blinking and a "Connected to <connection name>" information box will flash onscreen. Now you're ready to check your e-mail or do some (limited) web surfing. Remember EDGE is at best around twice as fast as old dial-up modem speeds, so while light mail reading and surfing mobile-formatted sites will be OK, you won't want to do heavy web surfing or listen to a whole lot of music (don't even try YouTube). But it may just fill in the gaps here and there until you can get back to civilization.

Posted at 03:09 in /tech ( 0 comments ) permalink

Thu, 02 Aug 2007

Nokia N800

Posted at 12:52 in /tech ( 0 comments ) permalink

Fri, 06 Jul 2007

Transformers

Of course I went to see Transformers. Even if I wasn't a fan, even if I didn't play with them as a kid, I would probably still have seen it, since apparently everyone went to see it in the past 2 days. And brought their kids (but I'll talk about that later). So, after all the anticipation and hype, how was it?

Thank the Matrix, it doesn't suck.

It's actually a good movie. It's not immediately my favorite, but it's very good. Both me and one of my movie companions gave it an 8 out of 10. The other gave it a 9. It's not perfect, but it's a solid, entertaining movie, obviously with eye-popping special effects.

The Good: The Transformers. I initially was shocked that the Transformers didn't look like the anime-inspired versions I was used to, but I have to admit, they look real, and really good, on screen. They look more alien than their cartoon counterparts, but that serves to enhance the feel of reality. According to Wikipedia, it actually took the special effects house 38 hours to create each frame of animation (most film runs at 24 frames per second). But it was worth it: I've never seen special effects like these. Even now it's hard to remember that the characters we cared about in the movie weren't actually there. I also can't believe director Michael Bay's action style actually works in this movie. I hate all of his other movies (oh the travesty that was Pearl Harbor!), but the action scenes work well (even more-so when you realize the most important characters were as big as houses and not actually there!).

Have I mentioned the Transformers look great?

I have to say that two actors stood out in the movie. Shia LaBeouf, as much as I believed this Disney Channel-refugee wouldn't be able to act his way out of a paper bag, actually plays his part quite well. He is believable as Sam Witwicky, the dorky guy that just wants a cool car to help him get a girl. And ends up getting involved in a galactic alien war with the fate of Earth in balance.

I have to make special mention of one actor in particular though. You never see Peter Cullen on screen, because he is the voice of Optimus Prime, but as Prime, he makes the movie. This is the real Prime, the old Prime we all love. Cullen's characterization is superb and flawless. Prime is wise, heroic, and an action hero. Think John Wayne clad in metal armor. Even when he has to give a speech to his troops before the climatic battle, it's full of earnestness and deadly heroism. Not since James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars has a voice actor been this important to a movie, and not since then has an actor delivered such stunning results. This truly is Optimus Prime, he's our hero, and we love him.

There were other human actors, too. Megan Fox is hot. I've forgotten the other actors and their characters, though I think at least one of them was well-known.

Have I mentioned how awesome the Transformers are in this movie?!

The Bad: There are too many humans, and they take up too much screen time. This is not just from a Transformers fan; both of my companions mentioned afterward that the movie seemed to really drag after the first Transformers appeared and movie started to focus on how the US government was responding to the threat. There's also the random secret government organization that gets in the way. Once the full Autobot force arrives, things start rolling again.

Another problem is a couple of odd inconsistencies surrounding the Matrix Underbase Allspark. I can't go into detail without spilling some major spoilage, but let's just say the Allspark's power seems to be inconsistent.

For Transfans: For an entirely new continuity in the Transformers universe, this movie stays within the lines of the previous stories for the most part. There are moments in almost every scene with the 'bots where the astute fan will see something taken from various previous storylines. In fact, I'm almost tempted to call this movie Transformers Universe, since it borrows so many pieces from stories that came before. There are several elements from the Generation One cartoon and Marvel and Dreamwave Comics. The idea of the Transformers crashing on a planet and reformatting into different alternate modes (rather than being "repaired" by their spaceship) is very similar to Beast Wars/Beast Machines. For the most part the Transformers' story and technology are woven together pretty well. And they do look great onscreen.

If you're a G1 Autobot fan, you'll probably be pleased with their characterizations in this movie, as they are mostly on track with the G1 characters. I've already mentioned the superiority that is Prime. Ironhide is old and a touch more trigger-happy. Rachet, as ever, is the doctor. Jazz, in shiny new Pontiac Solstice metal, is a 2000s version of old Jazz, and I loved the too short scene where he and Optimus discuss the value of protecting the humans who have just attacked them. Bumblebee is the major holdout; rather than a wimpy, whiny character, this Bumblebee successfully fights off a Decepticon by himself and can handle himself in battle. The G1 character was useless for anything but spying (and not very good at that); he needed to be rewritten, and this rewrite is good enough. And of course, the image of an old rusty Chevy Camaro beating up a brand new Ford Mustang will be priceless to GM loyalists.

If you like any of the Decepticon characters, you will be sadly disappointed. Megatron and Starscream are present and a quick scene shows they hate each other as always, and that's pretty much all the character development that happens for the lot of them. The movie's producers weren't even consistent on the characters they used; though the Autobots are all original Generation One Autobots, the Decepticon characters are a mishmash, most having few lines and some whose names are only mentioned in the movie's credits. It hardly matters; they're shown as evil, deadly, and nothing else. This actually works well in Megatron's case; we finally get to see in live-action the cruelty and brutality that are his signature traits, but could only be hinted at in the cartoons and comics. It's not a pretty sight. Don't bring your kids. The other characters are throw-away evil; the producers could have picked any Decepticons from any storyline and the results would have been the same.

For Parents: This is a PG-13 movie. DO NOT BRING YOUR 8-YEAR-OLD CHILD TO SEE THIS MOVIE! This movie (as it says in the rating description) is violent. People die. Not just machines, but live, flesh and blood people are stabbed, maimed, and giant robots squash them. I couldn't believe that one parent had brought a group of 4 little boys, one of which couldn't have been more than 6. KIDS ARE TOO YOUNG TO SEE THIS MOVIE, DON'T BRING THEM. Go buy them some DVDs of the umpteen number of Transformers cartoons.

Conclusion: For adults and teens, though, this is a good movie. If you don't know a thing about Transformers but want to see giant robots or just a good action movie, go see this movie. If you're a Transformers fan, go see the movie; it's probably not what you're used to, but you may just end up liking anyway.

The eternal war between heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons continues...

Posted at 07:34 in /movies ( 0 comments ) permalink

Thu, 05 Jul 2007

Hubbardses Renovate House

I've fallen behind recently in posting blog entries and photos, and I am trying to catch up. Back in May, Ken and I helped Floyd and Tara renovate their new (to them) house. These photos are mostly of Faolan cavorting about (sometimes in dangerous places) during the construction. It was a long weekend, but we got a lot done.

Posted at 21:54 in /lovablequirks ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 03 Jul 2007

Emo Faolan!

Posted at 04:02 in /photography/photos ( 0 comments ) permalink

Sat, 23 Jun 2007

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

So I went to see Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer recently, partly because I was bored, partly because I was interested in seeing the Surfer and who he represents. See, the Silver Surfer, though he possesses great power, is actually only the herald for a much greater, more sinister being: Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. The Silver Surfer searches the galaxy for planets for Galactus to consume. I was really interested to see how the movie makers would handle the idea of a giant being destroying and consuming Earth. (There are definitely parallels between the Marvel Universe Galactus and the Transformers Universe Unicron.)

Well, I was extremely disappointed because there was no Galactus. Rather than a planet-sized humanoid that interacts with the Surfer, we get what effectively is a dust cloud that says and does practically nothing. It just eventually floats into the solar system. Although the Surfer does speak to it once, it never actually responds. If someone had a large vaccuum cleaner, they could have ended this movie pretty quickly. I felt cheated. How can you have a Silver Surfer movie without Galactus?

The rest of the movie pretty much sucked. This review pretty much sums up my thoughts too, if I cared enough to write them down.

Transformers the Movie had better not suck like this.

Posted at 19:55 in /movies ( 0 comments ) permalink

Fri, 25 May 2007

Back Home

Posted at 10:56 in /travels ( 0 comments ) permalink

Thu, 24 May 2007

Chicken Parmisan

Posted at 20:11 in /travels ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 23 May 2007

Greek Salad Pita

Posted at 02:51 in /travels ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 09 May 2007

Lovable Quirks Upgrade

I finally got around to upgrading the software that manages the Lovable Quirks photo album. This upgrade provides better navigation links at the top of every page, and the albums will be easier to manage. E-mail me or comment here if you experience problems.

Posted at 23:12 in /lovablequirks ( 0 comments ) permalink

Thu, 19 Apr 2007

Fever

Posted at 01:22 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Thu, 05 Apr 2007

Birthday Greetings

Posted at 16:06 in /personal ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 28 Mar 2007

Photo Album: Austria

Our stay in Austria was short but enjoyable. We arrived in Vienna late Sunday evening. It was after dark, and finding our way around this ancient imperial capital was proving impossible. After driving around the Innerstadt (inner city) twice, we finally stumbled upon the neighborhood we were looking for. Finding our accommodations in that neighborhood proved to be a bizarre challenge in itself. Skyler, having driven all the way from Lublijana to Vienna, was dog-tired, and as I thought I had some idea of our accommodation's location, I ventured out alone to find it. I found the address given in our travel guide relatively easily, and the sign at the door indicated the desired establishment was on the third floor. However, climbing the stairs yielded not accommodations, but a locked office door. A sign on this door indicated the office was closed and gave a number to call if one wanted a room. Calling the number on my trusty Treo 680 yielded a woman who told me in a somewhat gruff voice to go down the street to the cafe and tell the bartender I wanted a room. So I walked down the street and asked the indicated bartender, only to have him call a number on a mobile phone, which turned out to be the woman to which I had just spoken. After several exchanges between the three of us, I finally procured a room key from the bartender. The room, however, turned out not to be at the office or the cafe, but in a building between the two. Several door locks and stair flights after that, and I had finally found our room. After retrieving Skyler and our gear from the car (and an extended search for a parking space), we had some dinner and settled down for the night.

The next day we explored the Innerstadt of Vienna. Vienna is a fascinating city of art and architecture. Its buildings are architectural marvels. Monuments and statues of historical figures are scattered across the city. Even places like Burger King are located in buildings with butresses and ornaments.

While the former imperial palace, the Hofburg, was impressive, the most awe-inspiring Viennese landmark to me was St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephensdom). Shortly after we arrived, the sunlight started to stream through the stained glass windows, creating strikingly gorgeous views of the cathedral's ornate interior.

That night, despite fatigue from walking all day, we saw a performance of one of Mozart's operas at the Vienna State Opera (Staatsoper), and then turned in for the night. I wish we had more time to spend in Austria, but it was a long way to our next destination.

Posted at 03:51 in /travels/gte2007 ( 0 comments ) permalink

Wed, 21 Mar 2007

2GB Memory Upgrade

I finally put together enough time and money to upgrade my Mac Mini from the stock, anemic 512MB of RAM to 2GB. This upgrade has transformed the Mini from a machine that quickly runs out of steam to a relative desktop powerhouse. When I first bought the Mini, I was mainly using it for Internet access and light programming and photo editing duties. As my interest in photography increased though, it became obvious that 512MB of RAM just wasn't enough. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom would only run (like molasses) if I shut down everything else except the operating system itself. Finally this became so frustrating I finally gave up and bought two Kingston 1GB PC2 5300 DIMMs.

Installing memory in a Mac Mini (especially an Intel one) is not for the faint of heart. I found the Mac Mini RAM Upgrade Tutorial at MethodShop.com to be an invaluable resource; their photos, video, and descriptions of the Mini internals were first-rate and their steps were easy to follow. I don't, however, think there is any way you can avoid scratching the Mini's case, however. Even with a plastic putty knife, I still ended up having to use a screwdriver to force the outer casing away from the plastic lower shell. The good news is any scratches you do inflict only show on the bottom of case, so under normal circumstances no one will see the hack job you did trying to install memory into your system. Before you put the case back on, do make sure your memory modules are firmly in place and that the Mac is working properly. One of my DIMMs was loose the first time through, and I had to lift up the drive assembly again and reseat the RAM. If I would have had to remove the case a second time, I probably would have pulled my hair out.

After the memory upgrade, I noticed the difference immediately. Mac OS X booted much more quickly. Not only is Photoshop and Lightroom faster, but I can now run them simultaenously with other apps (ah, multitasking!). When I first bought the Mac Mini I really had no idea just how memory-hungry Mac OS X is. FreeBSD (on which Mac OS X is ultimately based) and Linux distributions are not nearly as needy in the RAM department. Once you give it enough memory, though, Mac OS X is a powerful environment, even running on a slightly underpowered machine like a Core Solo Mac Mini.

Posted at 19:20 in /tech/mac ( 0 comments ) permalink

Mon, 19 Mar 2007

ITtoolbox Swag

Posted at 13:15 in /misc ( 0 comments ) permalink

Mon, 12 Mar 2007

Photo Album: Slovenia

After enduring an extended vehicle search at the border (despite the length the border guards were still nicer than the Serbians), we entered Slovenia and made a beeline for the capital, Ljubljana, to meet up with Skyler's friends Ana and Anita. We settled into Hostel Celica, the most bizarre hostel either of us had ever stayed in. Originally a prison, it was converted into an art gallery, and finally a hostel. Each of the rooms still look like prison cells, complete with heavy steel prison doors and tiny windows.

The next day we met up with Ana and travelled to the Adriatic coast. We met up with Ana's friend Snezka and visited the village of Piran. Piran is a small village dating back to when the Venetian Empire ruled the Adriatic. As such, its culture is as much Italian as Slovenian, and the signs are written in both Italian and Slovenian. The town is so old that cars literally cannot go into the town; the streets are too narrow for even a VW Polo to get through. Today it's a haven for artists looking for inspiration (and willing to cart things to their flat in a wheelbarrow).

After exploring Piran, we risked life and limb on the Slovenian backroads to make it to Ana's house. Ana and her family were so nice; they opened their home to us for several days, supplying comfortable beds and feeding us like kings.

It was fortunate we could rely on Ana as a tour guide, as neither Skyler nor myself knew much about her country. With Ana guiding Skyler's driving, we got to visit some places we otherwise would not have known existed. This includes Predjamski Grad, the castle built into a mountain of rock. As unique as the castle was, however, the most beautiful sight was by far the river Soči at the picturesque villiage of Most na Soči. Sometimes called "the emerald beauty," the river's blue-green color was something both alien and beautiful to me. It and the surrounding foliage, mountains, and yes, water fowl were excellent fodder for a budding photographer, and I admit I took an excessive amount of pictures. Fortunately, my compadres were patient with me, and a glance at the accompanying album will show that their patience was rewarded: these are easily the best pictures I took on the trip.

After I had nearly filled my camera's memory with photos of the Soči, Skyler, Ana, and I returned to Ljubljana, where Skyler and I were again incarcerated at Hostel Celica for a night. The next morning was a Sunday, and Skyler made use of the kitchenette in Ana's dorm to make crepes for Ana, her roommate, and me. Eventually, though, all good things end, and we had to say farewell to Ana, her friends and family, and beautiful Slovenia, as we trekked to our next country.

Posted at 02:28 in /travels/gte2007 ( 0 comments ) permalink

Fri, 09 Mar 2007

Photo Album: Christmas 2006

Lost among the 2GB of Europe photos was some pictures I took of my family at Christmas. I'm posting belatedly I know, but I left my parents' house and went straight to Europe, so there wasn't much opportunity to post before I got back from Europe anyway. In this album you'll see my grandmother, mother, father, sister, and Aunt Pat. You'll also get a glimpse of the house where I grew up (and where the rest of the family still lives). You'll also see Elizabeth's dog (the small one) and one of Dad's hunting dogs (of which he is quite proud). You'll also see Dad's little go-kart/truck to which he's attached a gun rack(!). For the most part it was an enjoyable Christmas, and I really appreciated the chance to spend time with my family.

Posted at 00:00 in /lovablequirks ( 0 comments ) permalink

Mon, 05 Mar 2007

Photo Album: Croatia

After we left Plovdiv, we made our way towards Croatia. Though we originally didn't plan to go through Serbia, a consultation of the roat atlases revealed that the only road of any size between Bulgaria and the more western parts of Europe went through Serbia. I'll not detail our Serbian misadventures again, except to say that we were glad when we finally reached Croatia. After a night in a nice hotel room in Slovonski Brod (which we procured for a bargain price), we headed off farther west to Skyler's friends and their B&B.

Not far from our friends' B&B were the highlights of our Croatian visit: the waterfalls of Rastoke and the Plitvice Lakes national park. Skyler took pictures of Plitvice back during the summer, and was told the park in snow was equally picturesque. Unfortunately, though our visit was during the time of year when there is normally at least a foot of snow, our visit coincided with an unexpected heat wave, and there was very little snow. Regardless, Plitvice was beautiful, and we took some excellent shots. Rastroke's waterfalls were also gorgeous; this little village in Slunj is built around a series of waterfalls, making it a uniquely wonderous landscape. I only regret that I couldn't see these places in the spring when all the plants are green and blooming.

Posted at 01:49 in /travels/gte2007 ( 0 comments ) permalink

Tue, 20 Feb 2007

More from the Polish Visit

I just posted some more photos taken during the visit of our new Polish friends. There aren't too many actual pictures of our visitors, though; most of the photos appear to be of a certain little someone. I suspect this is typical behavior when adoring mothers (and wacky exchange students) get control of cameras. :-)

Posted at 03:41 in /lovablequirks ( 0 comments ) permalink