| *cough* |
[Nov. 20th, 2009|01:49 am] |
IBM simulates neural activity at feline scales.
Unfortunately the sims aren't structurally matched to feline neural architecture, so there's no Cat in the Machine mowing annoyedly at the researchers who haven't properly simulated tuna yet.
Yet. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 19th, 2009|01:05 pm] |
In his room, a student swallows a vitamin pill along with a bottle of caffeinated milk and cocoa.
Fortification against boredom.
For before he can publish his work, he must read all the work of those who have gone before him.
To verify that none was already cleverer than he. |
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| Dear Ears: |
[Nov. 19th, 2009|09:32 am] |
You are constantly filling up with wax, oils, and water, and then you itch like crazy.
As soon as it is technologically feasible, reasonably inexpensive, and sufficiently safe to do so, I am having you replaced with cochlear implants and a decent electronic sound system. Nothing personal. |
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| Yes, I'm Immature. |
[Nov. 12th, 2009|07:00 pm] |
It kills me that the key originating paper of modern network analyzer theory was published by two guys named Glenn and Cletus.
"I recon that analyzer'd be a lot more reliable if'n we run it thru some sorta calibratin'."
"Yep."
"I further recon that y'd need standards on opposite ends of the impedance spectrum-- open and short, to truly know what was what."
"Yep."
"Think that'd do it."
*spittake* "Without a thru line to get a readin' on what "zero reflection" looks like on the hardware? You outta yer blamed mind?"
Yes, my sense of humor reverts to Hee-Haw reruns in times of stress. Shut up. |
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| Guitar Tabs vs. Sheet Music |
[Nov. 8th, 2009|11:15 am] |
Guitar tabs are incomplete because they don't incorporate timing. (There are ways to correct this but they can be cludgy.)
Sheet Music, for guitar, is also incomplete though. On my guitar there are six ways to play C4. With the exception of a handful of notes at the top and bottom of the scale, all notes can be played more than one way, and each of those ways actually sounds subtly different, and further is easier or harder to play in sequence with other notes. Computing the "best route" through a set of notes is non-trivial, and not something that is included in sheet music.
My formalist/animist split is of two minds on this one: on the one hand, I'd like to devise a scheme to accurately transcribe the full "value" of a guitar piece, preventing the student from having to discover the best way to play a set of notes, or at the very least encourage the de-stigmafying of guitar tabulature, but on the other hand I feel like telling a player exactly where their fingers ought to go for a piece robs them of a chance to "feel" what the music should sound like.
This internal debate actually then spins out of control and into topics such as the atomization of artwork, the ethos of remix culture, and whether Swiss Cake Rolls are food just because they're delicious, but I'll leave that special little ponderfest as an exercise for the reader. |
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| 20% Time |
[Nov. 5th, 2009|10:06 am] |
I just realized that technically speaking I'm supposed to be doing my own research most of the time and I've kind of been following the WREL project to the exclusion of my own stuff. Not *too* bad since I can publish papers on WREL, but there's nothing stopping me from heading back to the lab and working on some other paper ideas.
Further, there's nothing stopping me from slicing off a wedge of my time and applying it directly to alternate-sanity-oriented engineering and fabrication. Further, my analysis of the skill set applied to my current employment has revealed something:
Breakdown of skills used:
Skills learned from Academia: 30%
Skills learned from industry: 20%
Skills learned from independent research while on sabbatical: 50%
Failing to apply myself to independent research would be a bad idea. Like, from a purely rational standpoint. So now if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to break out the soldering iron and build some THINGS. |
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| Beta Testing Immortality |
[Nov. 4th, 2009|07:12 pm] |
Watching a video about bionic replacements, titled "rebuilding the baby boomers: spare parts for the 21st century".
The baby boomers are going to be the most experimented-upon generation, perhaps of all time. They will be prodded, clipped, sawed, electrocuted, bolted, welded, and generally picked over like old automobiles.
They're the beta testers. |
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| The Most Important Meal of the Day |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|08:27 am] |
As it happens I really don't function well without a proper (warm food at least 2 toaster waffles in size and something caffeinated to drink) breakfast. I've been learning this the hard way lately.
Starting today with a pair o waffles and a little pot of oolong has me feeling... pretty damn good actually.
Am I old people or what? |
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| Note to self: |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|06:51 pm] |
If you get the Irritator in a dark place, it will squeal in a single, pure, horrendously high note that will defy finding, and it just might convince you that your fire alarm is going defective on you, causing you to puzzle and fret over it for half an hour before realizing your backpack has an activated electronic device in it, screeching at around 18kHz.
Remember that the next time you can't find the source of that high-pitched whine you're hearing. :B |
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| Grr, I want chocolate... |
[Nov. 1st, 2009|11:15 am] |
I'm out of chocolate bars from the last costco trip, but I'm too lazy to drive all the way... to..
HANG ON A SECOND, IT'S NOVEMBER FIRST!!!
*runs off to nearest available grocery store* |
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| Wait-- I've got it! I shall go mad! |
[Oct. 20th, 2009|08:59 am] |
No no no! Plants are comics! All those little walls-- it's a comic! Or a movie! Each one follows the next and does its thing and it's walled off and separate by the panels-- by the cell walls!
And it changes and it grows and the next one's doing that too except it's a little younger so it's doing it at an earlier part in the film and the next one does it and then over here it branches off because this one's auxin triggers show it touches air instead of another cell and then the other one's auxin triggers tell it the one over *there* is touching the air so it does this other little thing and it's a comic I tell you it's all a vastly tiny comic of cytoplasm and cellulose and I'm not crazy that monkey told me I wasn't so there and vascular plants-- they got this big hairy morphogenic structure like something Alan Moore would write and lichens are original Spiderman (because of Stan and Ditko you see) and then there's all those trees that some deranged misogynist bastard drew and wrote or maybe it was just Neil Gaiman with a shitload of artists trailing behind him like some ribosomal entorage and no I'm not crazy I swear--
Wait. Going mad is a lot like going to vegas. Odds are you're not coming back with anything but stories nobody else wants to hear and less money. Never mind.
Also I think I was ripping off Warren Ellis' thoughtsmear from earlier, which is arguably much better. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 20th, 2009|12:02 am] |
Be you not here,
be you not there.
Be you not still, nor unaware.
Demons hunt and hunters dream
and sinew rends under witch's claw.
Cold times come and warm times go
and when the quiet stops at last you'll know.
Move quick!
The Earth moves also! |
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| 24HCD: FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL |
[Oct. 17th, 2009|04:31 pm] |
Okay, almost done with page... FIVE. OH THE FAIL.
I'm excusing myself based on the various OMG WTF ACKPTH that have filled my past month or so, but still, I'm gonna get SOMETHING decent out of today...
Grrrrf... |
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| 24HCD: This is NOT GOING WELL... |
[Oct. 17th, 2009|08:13 am] |
Got started two hours later than planned, hit writer's block, hands cramping up, was exhausted when I STARTED.
Other than that things are going well. Even if this comic crashes and burns (and it will) I may use the characters that came out of the randomizer for something later... |
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| Hey! Guitar hero doesn't make you cool! Stop having fun! |
[Oct. 16th, 2009|08:31 pm] |
Man, that XKCD about Rock Band is... yeah.
But anyway, now that anyone I think I had any realistic chance of surprising with this one has found out, I'm gonna spill.
I got an electric guitar almost two months ago, before I moved. I told no one. I hid it when company was over. During the move it was secreted away in my car's trunk. The plan was to get good enough on it that I'd have something to show for it before telling anyone about it.
I got a chance to surprise a few friends simultaneously with having a guitar AND being able to sort of play the first part of An Awful Lot of Running, but now zat zee cat iss out of zee bag, so to speak, I'll start adding my guitar folley to your regularly scheduled ranting.
( Long Boring Guitar Jabber ) |
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