“If you eat a frog, first thing in the morning, nothing you do that day could be less pleasant than that.” This is supposed to be motivational? Motivation is a weird thing. You decide you want to do something, and yet you find yourself not getting it done. So there grows an entire industry devoted […]
Author Archives:
Eat the Frog
28-Dec-12Sysadmin Haiku
16-Dec-12Yo, OS Vendors — I hate you all equally; Satan knows his own.
War on Drugs Over – Drugs Win
15-Dec-12News like this makes me glad I don’t bank with HSBC… Even if you actively collude with the people at the very top of the international narcotics trade, your punishment will be far smaller than that of the person at the very bottom of the world drug pyramid. You will be treated with more deference […]
Meta
14-Dec-12I had an insight about the utility of political discussion in the wake of a tragedy. Â The point is, a tragedy tends to excite system AÂ and so almost by necessity leads to reconfirmation of existing beliefs. I thought about it and decided to write a post about it, trying to start a meta-political discussion. Â Specifically, […]
Connecticut Shootings & Politics
14-Dec-12If you had  ‘political belief X’ before a tragedy; and then a tragedy happens that reinforces your belief in X; and then you re-iterate your belief in X; then I really doubt you’re going to change anyone’s mind. Now, anyone who used to believe X and now believes Y — say, a former gun-control advocate […]
Olive the Other Ringwraith
13-Dec-12A consequence of using the Heisig system to learn the Kanji — the mnemonic “Olive, the other ringwraith” Resurrected from my facebook dustbin by request from my kids, now here in easy-to-find web-searchable format: Olive the Other Ringwraith Olive, the other ringwraith hadn’t even been a king She didn’t have a throne She didn’t even […]
Here Comes Jabberwock
13-Dec-12Here comes Jabberwock, here comes Jabberwock Right down Jabberwock lane Gyre and gimble the slithy toves The borogoves are mimsy again! Hear that sword go snicker-snacker Oh what a frumious sight So leave it dead and bring its head For it’s a frabjous night! With apologies to Gene Autry and Lewis Carrol.
Random Thought
13-Dec-12Why do they only offer *accidental* death and dismemberment insurance? What about intentional dismemberment?
Inappropriate
11-Dec-12How is a bad credit score like an ex-spouse? One a sucking FICO, and the other …
Mutual Recursion: see Recursion, Mutual
05-Dec-12Andrew Plotkin: If you already know what recursion is, just remember the answer. Otherwise, find someone who is standing closer to Douglas Hofstadter than you are; then ask him or her what recursion is. That works for now, but what are we going to do for a base case when Hofstadter dies?