pragma_x

First up, your moment of zen:



Now that I have your attention, it appears that the promotions for TRON 2 ("TR2N") is going viral, in conjunction with goings-on at ComicCon this year. A more complete writeup is here citing a mysterious encoded .gif file and actual "Flynn's Arcade" tokens. There's also a Flynn Lives site, suggesting that Kevin Flynn took his rightful place as a Steve Jobs like figure at ENCOM, only to drop off the face of the planet.

Edit: even though that looks like my glasses *and* my cat, they're not. I found this over on reddit.com - I don't know of the original source.

...that Fallout would be so popular in Russia? Behold, by way of reddit.com, a set of pictures from a Russian Fallout LARP:

http://sdmobile.livejournal.com/18969.html



Words cannot describe how cool this is... well, not English ones anyway.

A story of self-discovery, and a look back on the year in personal development along this winding career track. Something small happened today that subtly shook me into a view of how far I have come.

( More... )

I recently acquired a 15" Mac Book Pro as my "desktop" machine to replace the old AMD Shuttle PC that died recently.

Does this mean that I'll cut my hair short, wear trendy clothes and make clever quips about how my business-like friends can't get their act together? No. The reasons why I went Apple are manifold, but style and trends were not among them.

( Why. )

You are more QUIRKY than NORMAL.

You are more TRADITIONAL than LIBERAL.

You are more DOMINANT than PASSIVE.

When picking a date, consider: The Rarity (QTAF) or The Librarian (QTBF).

Somewhere along the way, my cat decided that she had full run of the place and could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. And sadly this was true. She's too fast, too smart, too determined and simply doesn't sleep for long enough for me to keep up. Clawing, gnawing and meowing incessantly whenever things don't go her way - and then the occasional temper tantrum when I draw a line by putting a toy away or say "NO" sternly enough.

That is until yesterday.

I ordered two vibration-sensing alarms and one ultrasonic "clicker" to help gain the upper hand. Credit goes to dmcindc for suggesting both. I placed the alarms on some trouble spots - a table she was clawing and the second desk that she kept jumping on - and made a point to demonstrate how awful these things sound. So far, she only tripped one sensor. Smart kitty.

As for last night, I kept the ultrasound clicker next to my pillow. As much as I adore how cute she can be with getting my attention at night (nuzzling my hand, soft meowing noises, etc.) I can't afford the interruption in sleep this causes. So each time she did something disruptive, I hit the switch. You could feel the cat's entire body tense instantly through the mattress, followed by an explosive bound off of the bed to the floor, and a mad dash out the room.

Honestly, I can't recall having rested so well.

The guy who cooked up this experiment is now my hero.

This cheeky fellow attached a cellphone to the collar of several different puppies to see which one would elicit the most positive result from women. As the phone has a "smile activated shutter", the data pours in predictably. Add to this the scientist's friend, a hapless fellow who is simply shy around women (I can relate), and you wind up with results that are... well, just see for yourself:



There are some long pauses between chapters in the video, just stick with it.

From what I can tell, a small dog isn't an icebreaker - it's a f*cking rootkit for women.

Okay, so I had a miserable commute today. I was a world of hate until I stumbled across this:



Edit: For those that are wondering, I would never buy this piece of crap. As far as I can tell, the only thing it makes easy is good satire.

Yea, that's me alright. The blind man that sees everything.

Your results:
You are Geordi LaForge

Geordi LaForge 90% Spock 60% Chekov 60% James T. Kirk (Captain) 50% Mr. Scott 50% Data 49% Uhura 45% Will Riker 45% Worf 35% Deanna Troi 35% Beverly Crusher 30% Mr. Sulu 25% Jean-Luc Picard 25% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 20% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 20%

You work well with others and often fix problems quickly. Your romantic relationships are often bungled.

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character am I?" quiz...

Now, I can hear you say: "But Pragma, how is this at all topical?" Just watch.

If you're having a bad day at any point during this week, just put this on.



Hang in there for the chorus at around 1:55; I never thought that phrase could be so upbeat.

Here's a bunch of self-photos I took recently. Some folks were asking for pics, and I was long overdue for an updated headshot. So here we go:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10579504@N02/sets/72157617435285191/

In honor of the Rock Band hyjinks that ensued last night, I bring you the most awesome display of fake rocking out that youtube can provide. And here I thought Medium tore me up:



In case you're wondering: the latest rendition of Rock Band includes a drumkit that has five surfaces and allows for a second bass pedal. Personally I was also impressed that each has it's own slightly different timbre, which helps with missed notes and knowing where your hands are while you try and focus on your tablature "lane" on the screen.

Bonus Link

This kid most definitely does not need fake drums to rock out: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1908741

Remember: do not taunt your MtG playing cards.