output

Detect THIS

sinfonik — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:49:36 GMT

I find myself lost in the attempt to discern a repeating pattern among the cars on my daily commute. Before anyone starts to spew "chaos this" and "random fluctuations that" at me, let me point out that yes, I KNOW that traffic is easily one of the simplest, and probably among the most cited, examples of chaos theory imaginable. Thousands upon thousands of individuals acting according to their own plans, each having to deal with their own external influences, within a single system? Of COURSE it's chaotic! And yet, despite the complexity and unpredictability of these systems, there are occasionally followed rules and loosely predictable behaviors that somewhat limit the potential outcomes at any given time. Speed limits. A percentage of drivers who follow most of their training. Traffic density during given times of the day. So it's a system that largely behaves within certain limits, albeit chaotically. It would initially seem that there's nothing I could potentially glean from any attempt to set the behavior of this system into rigidly defined guidelines, and my resultant tearing of hair is the only truly predictable outcome. Except for one thing: During the time that I lived in Mountain View, traffic fell into VERY predictable patterns. I had a rough idea of what time I could leave on any given day and arrive within a certain time-frame to within minutes, accidents notwithstanding. It took me many months to reach this intrinsic understanding, but it happened. Now, however, I find myself driven mad (no pun intended) by my attempts to find ANY repeatability, ANY WHATSOEVER, in my commute. The time of day never seems to matter. The location doesn't seem to matter. Even the density, OF ALL FUCKING THINGS, doesn't always appreciably affect the overall rate of travel! Can you fucking BELIEVE that? Yesterday on my drive home, the traffic was as thick as it ever is at 630, but 99% of all drivers moved between 25 and 35 mph without ever needing to apply their brakes! Not particularly rapid, but compared to the typical stop-and-go of that time of night, it was utterly insane! I NEED A PATTERN. I must find some way to better comprehend the behavior of the vehicles on my drive. OR ELSE.

CotW

sinfonik — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:05:29 GMT

Despite having graduated some years ago, I still have anxieties that manifest themselves in extremely disquieting recurring dreams about missing classes, making it to the end of term with incompletes, having to re-take courses, and so on. I have to reassure myself when I get up that I have, indeed, graduated, and that I do, indeed, possess a degree. It fucking sucks. It's like reliving ALL of college (the bad parts) every time I sleep.

Garfield Minus Garfield

sinfonik — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:08:03 GMT

http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/ So strange, and at times not a little disturbing, yet so fascinating...

CotW

sinfonik — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:11:07 GMT

I have never been to a hot springs. I don't even know what a hot springs IS. Do they bubble? How hot ARE they? How come they only seem to be in deserts, where (to me, at least) the last thing needed is hot water?

CotW

sinfonik — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:20:46 GMT

This week, in confession news... I really, REALLY can't stand the television show "The Office." I mean, I'll scramble to my feet to manually change the channel if I don't know where the remote is, just to avoid it. It's big with coworkers, friends...everyone except me, apparently. I just don't get it, and I can't fucking STAND Steve Carrell. He needs a punch in the nose. So yeah, there it is.

CotW

sinfonik — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:23:48 GMT

Let's see... yesterday I posted my joy at having attended a party, so it's only fair that today I post a confession. This week's (early) confession: I thought Nancy McKeon (Jo on The Facts of Life) was hot as hell back in the eighties. I still do. And that's okay, because she DID turn 18 during the show's eight-year run. There was just something about that tomboy attitude that really did it for me...

Moontribe

sinfonik — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:33:38 GMT

You know, those guys from L.A., the ones that have been throwing full moon desert parties for 15 some-odd years... I just returned from three days and three nights spent next to a creek in the middle of nowhere for Moontribe's 15th annual/anniversary full moon party (and my personal first), and I have to say that it was one fucking hell of a throwdown. I camped with some good friends of mine and a couple that owned an airstream (and have since become good friends of mine) in what can only be called an oasis by the creek. Shenanigans were had. Danced my ASS off to lots of psytrance, a lil bit of house, quite a bit of techno, and even some DnB (my feet are in some serious PAIN right now). Attended a surprisingly touching wedding ceremony on the dance floor just before sunset Thursday night. Talked to an awful lot of people about absolutely nothing in particular. Ogled a number of the lasses in attendance (oh pirate girl, where did ye go Thursday night?), but never ONCE spilled a beverage on myself while doing so. Lost my favorite sunglasses while "body-surfing" rapids on the creek (bummer). I'm pretty thankful for the opportunity to bust a move and have as much fun as I did. I'll post pictures...if I ever get around to installing the required software. OR if they turned out alright; I tried taking several, but my visual acumen wasn't what one might call "up to snuff."

Commie Rock

sinfonik — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:05:13 GMT

The Red Elvises will be performing July 5th at Slim's (http://www.redelvises.com/schedule.htm). If you're one of those NOT going to Priceless, and are up for something different, I say DOO EET. I vill be dere. Some myoo-zeeks: http://www.redelvises.com/mp3s.htm

Pot 'o Shite

sinfonik — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:12:42 GMT

James Hetfield looks like an evil leprechaun.

CotW

sinfonik — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:04:25 GMT

I just found out today that I have the internet on my phone. So what, right? Well, apparently I've been paying 15 bucks a month for the internet on my phone... for the LAST YEAR. Goddammit.

Spam

sinfonik — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:51:50 GMT

I get what I suppose is an average amount of spam sent to my yahoo account [about 40 messages a day (and let me just say that Yahoo handles it pretty poorly)]. I don't typically pay any attention, but I decided to start posting some of the more amusing subject lines. And dude, since spam filters have grown more complex, some of the subjects can be pretty fucking funny. Bear in mind, these are pulled from the SUBJECT, not the body of the message. As/if this list grows, I might move it to my profile page. Feel free to make additions. "This is going to sound weird but I was never really embarrassed of my penis size in front of my wife." -(funny) "Divorcement Reasons. Beasts Implicated." -(news that's fit to print, despite poor grammar) "Weapon used to make love" -( o_O )

In Memoriam

sinfonik — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:13:23 GMT

And in the vein of Steve's "Affluenza" post, I'd like to present this little nugget: http://www.casiogzone.com/type_s/ My current phone, a Motorola RAZR, is, for all intents and purposes, dead. I've had to manually tweak the battery leads, glue the battery in, the number plate is loose, there's dust under the screen, it's missing a couple pieces here and there, it frequently powers itself off in protest; after all the drops and wettings, it's a miracle the damn thing even works, really. For the longest time, I'd been convinced that I really wanted a touch-screen phone, be it an LG Voyager, Verizon XV6800 or XV6900, or something similar. However, after giving it some thought, I've decided I want the above phone. To hell with the Joneses, I'd rather keep up with the U.S. Military (Mil-Spec code MIL-STD-810F). Dude, the fucker is drop- and dust-proof and works underwater. Let me reiterate that. IT WORKS UNDERWATER. The reception is pretty much nonexistent when underwater, but who cares? YOU'RE MAKING A FUCKING CALL UNDERWATER. And it's not that expensive. Since I'm pragmatic AND I'm hell on gizmos, I think this is the phone for me. You all can HAVE your fancy-shmancy phones; I'D rather have a phone I can practically drive my truck over.

Ticketmaster

sinfonik — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:39:27 GMT

We all know they suck. Here's yet another example of how just how much they rape the consumer's wallet: Yesterday, I went to Shoreline Amphitheater to get tickets to Live 105's BFD. They're advertised as being ten dollars and fifty-three cents...a fucking BARGAIN. However, a quick trip to ticketmaster's website indicated that they were charging six dollars and five cents per ticket as a convenience fee. Hence my trip to Mountain View. That is correct, folks. In this day and age of rising gas prices, it was STILL more economical for me to make the round-trip from San Mateo to Mountain View to purchase fee-free tickets at their ticket box rather than purchase them online. Ticketmaster, why do you do it? And why hasn't anyone busted you for unfair practices in what is obviously your monopolistic (or possibly oligopolistic) stranglehold of the concert ticketing service industry?

Forty Percent

sinfonik — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:42:43 GMT

That's how much of my right medial meniscus they had to cut away yesterday. That's a lot. I knew the tear had gotten worse, but DAMN. The before and after pics are pretty fucking dramatic. My first ever surgery is over. The best part of the surgery was definitely the drugs. That was one helluva fucking buzz. The worst part was in the recovery room, thinking but not being certain, that I was saying stuff. Possibly dumb stuff. I THINK. I may have just hallucinated it all. Thing is, I only have the IMPRESSION of having said dumb stuff; there's no actual evidence that I did. Apparently I asked one nurse when I'd be able to drink again, and she said not till after 24 hours, and I said, "Aw, FUCK," which put her off slightly. Wait, now that I think about it, maybe the worst part was that I woke up in the recovery room as the LAST PATIENT OF THE DAY. There were only about three people left working in the building. So now I'm all hopped up on pain medications, but nothing fun, unfortunately. Just Vicodin and Mydol. Two Vics every four hours. The pain is like when you fall on concrete right onto your kneecap, except instead of fading, that sharp pain is continuous. I guess even minimally invasive surgery is still fairly traumatic. So yes, my knee hurts like a bitch, and I guess the swelling is going to be pretty bad once I get the Ace wrap off, so it pains me to say this, but I think Beltane is out of the question for me. That's a shitty kind of hurt right there.

Regarding Cats

sinfonik — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:55:07 GMT

Oh, NOW I get it: http://www.b3ta.com/links/An_Engineers_Guide_to_Cats Generally funny, occasionally uproariously hilarious. Not safe for work IF your place of employment frowns upon public displays of amusement.

CotW

sinfonik — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:41:04 GMT

I...fucking...LOVE the bagpipes. I mean I LOVE THE FUCK out of the bagpipes! Seriously. And the bitch of it is that I have no idea WHY. I've just always been entranced by the sound of (WELL PLAYED) bagpipes. Shit, there's a song by AC/DC with bagpipes, and I, to thi day, think that's one of the most amazing heavy metal songs ever, just because they had the stones to open with bagpipes. ... I want bagpipes at my wedding.

worst...Cover...EVER

sinfonik — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:12:31 GMT

There's this fucking GE commercial with dudes in white, hauling buckets of water up into the clouds. The fucked-up part is that there's this whiny chick singing a slowed down version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain". That rendition SUCKS motherfuckin BUTTNUGGETS (it's practically sacriligious...not to be confused with sacrilicious). Jimi Hendrix covering Bob Dylan it AIN'T.

My Kind of Art

sinfonik — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:38:51 GMT

I DARE you to browse this site and not be impressed. Oh man, and read about how she makes the metal sculptures; that's a rad process right there. http://www.bathsheba.com/

Cuckoo for Comics

sinfonik — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:15:59 GMT

This summer sees the release of the new Batman movie, Ironman, and the second Hellboy movie. Sweeeeet! *EDIT* Natalie pointed out The Incredible Hulk as well. Saints preserve us!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

sinfonik — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:46:09 GMT

Make Lemon Meringue pie. When life hands you vodka and no mixers, you make 7-up out of soda water, lemon juice, lime juice, and sugar. Seriously, I think I just figured out a way to save a lot of money. Here's a hint: it ain't quitting drinking! My next project: making Coke out of soda water, dark corn syrup, and caffeine pills. And maybe a little ginger or something. Gotta mix my coconut rum with SOMEthing!

CotW

sinfonik — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:50:00 GMT

I'm bored of the internets. Or is it bored WITH the internets..? Either way, I've done and said it. I am SO FUCKING BORED of/with the internets. It's not that I don't DO stuff on the web anymore; I most certainly do. I post (mostly barely coherent tangents) fairly frequently in threads on a couple of websites. But I really only visit about five sites with any regularity anymore. The seemingly limitless potential the internet possessed in my mind a scant two or three years ago has been supplanted by a stale, "been there, done that" web-weary view. Dammit, even looking for PORN has grown old. Somebody should devise a means of having some sort of stimulating feedback from visiting certain webpages. Say you've got a known list of interests and a known expectation of what comprises well-designed pages. By actively browsing the internet and coming across pages that feed both your interests and expectations, the pleasure centers of your brain are stimulated. So far, not that much different than what already happens, right? The rub is that the degree of stimulation varies inversely with the popularity of the website. Find some well-designed site that discusses an eminently fascinating topic that receives little to no visitors, and you find yourself immediately euphoricized. That would probably make the internet even more addicting that it already has proven itself to be. Ah well.

The Surgerizer Becomes the Surgerized

sinfonik — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:37:51 GMT

After increasing discomfort and occasional pain, I re-visited the sports doctor who, some three years ago, determined that I had a torn meniscus in my right knee (thank you, medical insurance!). He speculated that it has gotten worse. ! Yeah, ANYway. Of COURSE it's not going to get better. I've done what I could to maintain it; wear a knee brace when engaged in certain athletic activities, and...well, that's really it. So he says that sure, I could continue doing this, but eventually a brace will no longer be sufficient to maintain a pain-free, active lifestyle. In fact, give it a couple more years, and there may not be enough cartilage intact on my bone for ANYthing short of a knee replacement. So, bearing this in mind, I've decided to go under the, well, not KNIFE, exactly, more like going under the minimally invasive endoscpic surgical instruments, at the end of April. A pretty simple and quick procedure, really. I guess there IS a certain physical toll associated with getting older. And living a life full of occasional jogging, weightlifting, kickboxing, backpacking, football, soccer, racquetball, skiing, snowboarding, surfing, jumping rope, road biking, mountain biking, hiking, LOTS of dancing, as well as the injuries associated with mountain bike crashes, getting hit by cars while walking or biking, biking into cars, falling out of trees, falling off cliffs, wiping out while surfing or skiing or snowboarding, jumping off sand dunes, jumping down flights of stairs, jumping off balconies, and lord only knows what else I've done that might have contributed. Dang. I'm not even 30 yet! Gotta get that shit fixed now so I can continue doing it all for another 29 years.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS TRUCK

sinfonik — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:19:41 GMT

Seriously. There is nothing I don't love about this truck: http://www.easternsurplus.net/346.html Except maybe the fact that it's in Pennsylvania (also, I don't have anywhere to store it). They SAY they'll ship anywhere, but I wonder how much THAT costs... Anyone got any extra garage space?

Cable?!

sinfonik — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:32:27 GMT

I like the Daily Show (With John Stewart). He's smart, low-key funny, and has a wide variety of serious interviewees on his show, to each of whom he gives a fair shake. Hell, even Arlen Specter managed to get laughs. I don't hate much, but I can't fucking STAND the Colbert Report. The guy is an inflated asshole, he's a blowhard, he's not funny, and he doesn't give any of his guests an iota of respect. PARTICULARLY with his irritating habit of talking over his guests. Watching an interview with him boils down to: question-halfanswer-randomcomment-attemptatrecovery-inaneaside-fin. LAME. I would like to shake John Stewart's hand; I would like to punch Steven Colbert in the dick. If he were a woman, I'd want to punch him in the clit; I'm just not that biased.

CotW

sinfonik — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:17:57 GMT

When I was wee, my mom had Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album on tape. The actual song "Thriller" scared me so much (keep in mind I was like 4 or 5 at the time) that I couldn't listen to it by myself. I don't think I ever saw the video, so it must have simply been Vincent Price's creepy-ass voice in the middle of the song that was doing the frightening. In a related confession, I wish I could dance like MJ.