It’s pouring down rain outside. We have the patio sliding door open so we can listen to it and feel the cool breeze as we sit at our desks here in the office-room of our apartment. For once I don’t have any extra work or school-work to attend to and can simply enjoy the evening. Recovery is delicious. :)
public key for orion at perilouscodpiece dot org
I realized I never got around to making a gnupg keypair specifically for my address on this host, so here’s my new public key:
—–BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK—–
Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux)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=ubgf
—–END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK—–
(or you can retrieve from say pgp.mit.edu, key id 63041F5B)
Got an A in discrete math!
:D Just checked my grades for the spring ’11 term for the 1,000th time and they finally posted my grade for discrete math. I was pretty sure I had an A going into the final, but it was a brutally tough final exam so I really had no idea how things were going to shake out (the final was half my course grade).
I guess making an A in the only course you’re taking is one way to hold a 4.0 average, albeit the trivial/basis case, heh.
vaguely recalled dystopian killbots
I have vague recollections of leafing through a comic book as a kid about a dystopian killbot committing page upon page of gory atrocities on behalf of his grotesquely corrupt controllers, dragging himself through broken glass and barbed wire while on fire, his artificial skin becoming increasingly tattered and torn, artificial blood soaking every page amidst the real.
His personality module was programmed (perhaps his consciousness was an accident?) so that in his mind, he was just John Smith, living some 1950’s grey suit existence as a tax collector, so that nothing going on penetrated his consciousness. He kept repeating it to himself like a mantra: “My name is John Smith. I’m a tax collector.”
He was always just about to get home from a long day at work, looking forward to seeing his wife and kids, telling himself that his nightmares weren’t real. “My name. Is John Smith. I’m. a. tax. collector.” Naturally, he’d suffer some sort of catastrophic system failure due to mounting damage before that would happen, so every iteration was his freshly restored from backup mind in a new chassis being sent out for another cycle of longing dreamtime. Looking back on it now, it reminds me of a scene in Mad Men deconstructing “utopia” as two words for “the good place” and “the place that can not be.”
Joy Division — Twenty Four Hours (piano cover)
The original song’s lyrics have resonated strongly with me at many points throughout my life; I don’t know that I’d call it my very most favorite Joy Div song, but it’d definitely be close to the top of that list:
~~
So this is permanence, love’s shattered pride
What once was innocence, turned on its side
A cloud hangs over me, marks every move
Deep in the memory, of what once was love
Oh how I realised how I wanted time
Put into perspective, tried so hard to find
Just for one moment, thought I’d found my way
Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away
Excessive flashpoints, beyond all reach
Solitary demands for all I’d like to keep
Let’s take a ride out, see what we can find
A valueless collection of hopes and past desires
I never realised the lengths I’d have to go
All the darkest corners of a sense I didn’t know
Just for one moment, I heard somebody call
Looked beyond the day in hand, there’s nothing there at all
Now that I’ve realised how it’s all gone wrong
Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long
Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway
Gotta find my destiny, before it gets too late
~~
A few months ago I found this piano cover of the song and I’ve really enjoyed listening to it, so I thought I’d share: vkgoeswild’s rendition of 24 hrs
software engineer achievements
Our ticket/task tracking system at work has achievements, which is fairly awesome (e.g. “Gulag Archipelago — work on one project for more than 2000 hours in one year”). Recently a thread came up on the SomethingAwful comedy forums centering around (mis/ab)use of a Valve-style achievement tag generator. Here are some of my contributions to the thread, for a quick laugh. :)
new desktop :)
This pay cycle I decided that it was my birthday month, and I was tired of my old desktop struggling to keep up with things (like, say, flash videos on youtube, or even low end gaming). With Kirsti’s encouragement, I spent about $700 on newegg.com and got the parts for a new build which has gone super well so far. (Ironically since they arrived during the work day and I was pretty busy, Kirsti did most of the actual putting together of the stuff I’d intended to. I think my total contribution was installing the power supply in the case, putting in the motherboard offsets and installing the optical drive.)
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 (3.2ghz quad core)
RAM: 16gb ddr3-1333 (4x4gb, G.Skill)
MB: Asus M4A87TD
Video: Gigabyte GV-N450OC2-1GI (Nvidia Fermi 450 card, 1gb vram)
HD: WD Caviar Black 1TB (sata 3, 64mb ram cache)
DVDRW: an old but still functional ata133 LG dvdrw, recycled
Case: a ThermalTake black atx mid-tower, forget the model number
Power: antec 650w green (so named for high conversion efficiency)
OS: Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop
So, so happy with how it’s turned out. :) I’ve done things with it like have two operating systems installing into virtualbox in the background (various testbed VMs) while playing Portal via Steam on wine fullscreen in high res and it never stuttered. Ripping a DVD took less than half an hour (and I’m not sure that I found the right config options to tell HandBrake to go multi-core). OS install went smooth as silk, the hardware is super-performant, and best of all it’s quiet! The loudest sound it makes is the very faint noise that comes from really thrashing the crap out of the hard drive. I kind of wanted to get an SSD for main storage, but the $/GB ratio was still just a bit out of my reach, and I’ve heard of just enough bugs and glitches still being worked out with them that I felt that sticking with spinning rust for now was the safe call. With sata-3 on the motherboard, I’ll probably still be able to upgrade just fine to an SSD in a year or two when all the software and hardware kinks have gotten worked out.
how to cleanly exit SLIME mode in emacs
Because I constantly forget how to do this whenever I’ve got cause to fool around with SLIME mode in emacs (usually when working through Land of Lisp, which is on Safari too), a note to myself:
- in the SLIME buffer, press “,” to enter a slime command
- enter “sayoonara”
- press enter to exit
This is enough to exit back out to ordinary emacs (from which ctrl-c ctrl-v exits, naturally).
good weekend :)
I love weekends where I don’t have to work (at least, when I’m not getting paid overtime — you want to give me time and a half on top of my nominal hourly rate and my attitude towards overtime changes immediately, heh). Got a reasonable amount of studying done (could’ve been more, but still a fair amount), which even though the example problem sets are somewhat tedious doesn’t really feel like work so much as highly directed fun. I’m hoping the most recent death march project is pretty much put to bed.
the social network / facebook
Thinking of Boston (see last post), I received our copy of The Social Network on DVD a few days ago. Highly recommend this for anyone who enjoyed the film in the theaters, it’s only $13 on Amazon and the extras DVD is packed with some fairly interesting content, e.g. a long-making of vignette, lengthy interviews with Reznor, Ross and other people critical to the look and feel of the film, and so forth.
Thinking of Facebook itself, I’m kind of creeped out by them opening up home address and phone number info to third parties. I put that stuff up there to help out friends who happened to lose my contact info, but at this rate I’m thinking some of that needs to come off for security reasons. I’ll handle keeping friends updated via other channels. Increasingly glad I have this blog set up as an alternative to Facebook as insurance against them going completely into the shitter regards privacy and security.