Home of the Immoral Minority

Twilight trailer

2008-05-14T02:35:24Z

Seeing this trailer fills me with both anticipation and dread. Imagining the wonderful things that could be done with the Twilight series in film is thrilling, but the likelihood that a good book gets turned into an equally good movie is pretty low in my experience. It will suck if they turn it into crap, so part of me doesn't even want to get excited about it.

Also, saw Iron Man last night. Surprised myself by enjoying it quite a bit! :)

Clown car snort

2008-05-12T15:28:29Z

Hee hee hee!

Thanks to Pharyngula's readers for the link.

They're baaaaaaaaaaack

2008-05-11T23:20:06Z

It's too early to say with absolute certainty since I haven't seen a nest yet, but it definitely looks like our barn swallows are back. They have been swooping, screeching and twittering around our front door all day. It was kind of a mess to clean up afterward when they left last year, but I think we've agreed that we're going to allow them to build again this year. Who doesn't love baby birds?

Last year there was just one brood, but they didn't start building a nest until late June. I wonder if they're gearing up for two this year since it's only mid-May.

Down with the mouse

2008-05-09T03:28:58Z

Dear credit card companies,

Please understand that the very last thing I would ever want is a Disney character on my credit card.

Thank you.

P.S. Offer Toad, and we'll talk.

PATD and cookbooks

2008-05-08T02:37:27Z

OK, just one more thing about PATD: You should also listen to the song below. It's the "harpsichordy" one I mentioned the other day. The harmonies are very pretty, and the whole thing just has a sweet feel to it. The embedded video below is just a still with music, so don't worry about not being able to see anything.

Next item of business: Can anyone recommend a good dinner cookbook? I dislike traditional cookbooks, because I don't like dishes divided into categories. Part of the reason I'm fond of Rachael Ray's recipes (and, no, I've never seen her cooking shows -- no cable -- so I don't really have a sense of why she's considered so god-awfully annoying) is that she just does whole meals -- not an appetizer here, a dessert there, a veggie there, etc. I'm just too lazy to put 3 recipes together and turn it into a meal, so I'd prefer that someone else do it for me.

So, anyway, I'm looking for other good cookbooks that focus on putting meals together rather than recipes divided into 1 of 18 categories. Holler if you can recommend one.

Below the Root

2008-05-07T04:30:19Z

Anyone remember the Apple II game, Below the Root? It was only my all-time favorite computer game when I was a kid!

Released in 1984, it was also one of the most complex adventure games around, grooming my taste for later games such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Nowadays, you can download a C64 emulator and play the original Below the Root in all its colorful and musical glory. Also, the world of play is enormous for its time.

Tonight I discovered a user on YouTube who has videotaped himself playing the game, narrating as he goes. It's essentially a Below the Root tutorial/walkthrough, but since I've only watched parts 1 and 2 so far I'm not sure how far he goes. Some of his comments are kind of lame, but he actually does a pretty good job explaining the world, the premise, how items are used, how to use your skills, etc.

Below the Root: Part 1

Things heard and read in popular culture

2008-05-06T04:02:46Z

I'm listening to a new CD right now: Panic at the Disco's second album, titled "Pretty. Odd." From the 2 or 3 songs I had heard on the radio from their first album, they came off as musically interesting but kind of, well, snotty -- forgivable, since they were teenagers just out of high school at the time. If not for the recognizable voice, I might have thought this second album was the product of a completely different band. The songs move in directions from rock to folksy to a very harpsichordish ballad. I am particularly fond of tracks #1, #2, #5, #8, #13 and #15 (that's a lot, I know, but they're good!). I highly recommend it as somewhat eclectic rock. These kids are talented; I hope to hear more from them in the future.

Listen to "Nine in the Afternoon"

In the world of literature, I've just finished Colleen McCullough's The First Man in Rome. This hefty tome (896 pages) of historical fiction details the military and political career of historical figure Gaius Marius (157 BC - 86 BC) alongside the history of Rome during his lifetime. It sounds dry, but it was actually quite fascinating. It just took me ages to get through because there is so much detail -- not to mention learning Roman naming conventions, which are at first very confusing, and keeping track of the many, many characters. I think I've just learned more about ancient Rome than I ever learned in school -- which isn't difficult, since it was probably nothing. Although I've finished the body of the story, I'm still working my way through the 94-page glossary (slightly dry, but it is helping to round out my understanding of the Roman world). Oh, and there are six more books in this series, so yeah. Wish me luck.

365 Days

2008-05-04T03:11:49Z

I recently completed a project I called “365 Days of Julia." Between April 13, 2007 and April 12, 2008, I took a photo of myself each day*. It actually turns out to be 366 because of leap year, but who’s counting? Would you like to have a peek? You can view a composite poster or the photo set on Flickr. Viewing all the thumbnails side by side now makes me feel like a bit of a nut, but I'm pleased.

Seeing the project to its end has seemed like a feat in itself, and it is with relief that I remind myself the past few days that I no longer have to take a photo! Some additional thoughts about the project:

It’s harder than you might think not only to take a photo every day (I think I forgot about 6 times, so I took 2 the following day), but also to be inspired to take a new, different photo every day. *Some days I cheated and used a photo that someone else had taken of me. 365 done well means a lot of different poses, facial expressions, locations, etc. Many of my photos are simply a face from arm’s length, and a number of them are clearly uninspired, but on the other hand a few have become some of my all-time favorites.

Regrets? Foremost, I regret working on another 365-type project simultaneously. Many days, photo-taking became a chore, and I was not able to set aside time enough to compose a decent shot. I also wish I had better skills with composition and lighting, especially when compared to other 365 projects I’ve admired on Flickr. I would consider this project again, but only if I learned more about photography and felt I could truly improve on the first project.

[Edited to mention that I do recommend this to anyone who thinks it looks like fun. You'll never forget it, for better or worse, and when you're done you have a pretty cool visual log of a year of your life.]

Things found in library books

2008-04-30T02:05:50Z

This entry title could begin a whole series of meditations on items found in library books, but I'll just mention what I found today: A laminated bookmark for an organization called OC International - Decision/Spain, which seems to be a fund-raising group to promote evangelism in Spain. Spain? Yes, Spain.

The bookmark presents 3 bulleted points intended to get my attention:
* 7000 people abandon their Christian faith in Europe every day.
* Islam has grown in Spain, half a million believers in ten years.
* Spain is the country of the western world with the lowest rate of evangelicals per inhabitant.

These three disparate sentences are clearly intended to instill fear (OMG) in a god-fearing person. I always wonder why fear is a preferred method of proselytizing, but anyway. Let's discuss the points:

7000 people abandon their Christian faith in Europe every day.
Of course, my first thought is, "Hooray!" *grin* Seriously, though, this isn't news. Excluding the US, the western world is abandoning religion left and right. However, I suspect this point was included because it's perceived as a threat. Puzzling.

Islam has grown in Spain, half a million believers in ten years.
Oh, I get it now! Following point #1 to point #2, I think they are slyly suggesting that those abandoning Christianity are all converts to Islam! Now that's just silly. Islam has increased in western Europe because of immigration, and not because 7000 Christians are converting daily.

Spain is the country of the western world with the lowest rate of evangelicals per inhabitant.
I'm not sure why this is threatening or even noteworthy. Everyone knows that Spain is historically Roman Catholic. But listen further: This organization's goal is "planting an evangelical church in every un-reached town in Spain by 2012." Wow. Just imagine for a moment that the funds used to build churches each year were used to, say, further education. Instead, it's being flushed down some gilt and bejeweled toilets. Heartbreaking.

FSM save us!

Secularism isn't threatening or injurious -- quite the contrary:
“Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom are among the least religious societies on earth. According to the United Nations’ Human Development Report (2005) they are also the healthiest, as indicated by life expectancy, adult literacy, per capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate, and infant mortality. The United States is unique among wealthy democracies in its level of religious adherence; it is also uniquely beleaguered by high rates of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and infant mortality. The same comparison holds true within the United States itself: Southern and Midwestern states, characterized by the highest levels of religious literalism, are especially plagued by the above indicators of societal dysfunction, while the comparatively secular states of the Northeast conform to European norms.”

Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation

California pics

2008-04-28T04:23:29Z

362/365: April 11, 2008
Originally uploaded by Ryner12

I'm only 16 days behind in getting photos uploaded to Flickr. I can't remember the last time I've been that close. This means, of course, that I have the first 2 days' worth of California up!

Day 1 begins here, and day 2 begins here.

That's enough for tonight, I'm sleepy and still can't stop coughing.
*hack* *wheeze*

How timely

2008-04-26T21:25:46Z

Remember the SVH/size 6 business I posted about a few weeks ago?

It turns out that the series is being rereleased, with updates to reflect the tastes of 21st-century teens.

And guess what? Oh, I know, you've already guessed: The twins are now a "perfect size 4."

Male population explosion

2008-04-24T23:11:52Z

There are now 5 men working in my building out of a total of 36 people, which I believe is an all-time high. Gosh, I can hardly keep track of them all!

In online entertainment news...
First there were the LOLCats.
Then came the LOLCat Bible and LOLTheist at seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum.

It was only inevitable that we now have LOLCats can has science.

Food for thought

2008-04-24T04:20:59Z

Several of my colleagues recently attended a health care conference and have published some of the information they learned in our union newsletter. Interestingly, the state of health care in this country is no surprise, but it is quite another thing to actually read and compare real numbers:

Contrary to most Americans' beliefs, we don't have the best health care in the world -- just the most expensive:

* USA spends more on health care than most other western countries.
* USA has fewer doctors and hospital beds than most other western countries.
* USA hospital rate is 40% more expensive than in most other western countries.
* USA out-patient services cost 36% more than in most other western countries.
* USA prescription drugs cost 27% more than in most other western countries.
* USA administration costs are 82% more than in most other western countries.

It's that last that boggles the mind. 82%?

At what point did it become OK to allow the entire health care industry walk all over us? Other countries have proven that it is possible to provide effective -- even better -- health care to their citizens without robbing them blind and padding the pockets of the health care and pharmaceutical industry.

Honey, I'm home!

2008-04-23T03:13:54Z

I got home from Cali on Sunday night. I still have a lot of entries to write and backdate, so stay tuned for that. Boy, it was easy to forget I even had a job. I'm really good at completely letting go while traveling. That's both an advantage in aiding in true, stress-free relaxation, and a disadvantage when it's over. Coming home is kind of deflating.

Anyway, one of my oldest friends got married in a hip, stylish, 1950s wedding poolside at the retro Del Marcos Hotel. I wore my fabulous new dress (photos to follow when I eventually get my act together on Flickr) and had an awesome time.

The newlyweds, Elizabeth and Micah, are now honeymooning indefinitely in their 1958 Yellowstone trailer, Pixel Dust, complete with original appliances and furnishings. Did I mention Liz is heavily into the 1950s? They are mapping and blogging their adventure, so check it out: Pixel Dust Post.

Day 2: Santa Monica

2008-04-17T16:02:47Z

Some highlights of my California vacation so far:

* Jonas brought up a few items to the room from the bakery in the adjacent shopping mall for breakfast. Muffins, yum.

* Drove out to Santa Monica and found a few geocaches, including one where we had to say the password, "The geocache flies at midnight," to some bike rental attendants in order for them to give it to us. :)

* Walked out to the pier, people-watched and soaked up some sun.

* Walked down the street to El Texate, which was yum yum yum.

* Strolled further down the beach to Venice, where all of the things not allowed on Santa Monica's pristine beachfront (street vendors, smoking, etc.) are permitted and even encouraged. Venice is prime for people-watching.

* Tired after all that walking, we popped into Laemmle's Music Hall to see The Counterfeiters.

* Picked up some In-N-Out Burger to eat back at the hotel.

Day 1: Minneapolis to Los Angeles

2008-04-17T15:36:13Z

Some highlights of my California vacation so far:

* Our 7:35pm flight out of Minneapolis was delayed about three hours. We spent about an hour on the tarmac alone, getting de-iced. That's OK, I've had worse travel experiences.

* Arrived at LAX around 12:30am local time and retrieved our luggage.

* Picked up our rental car, a silver Jeep of some kind. Good thing they're open 24/7.

* Found our way downtown to the Sheraton and managed to get to sleep around 2:30am, which felt like 4:30am to our bodies still on Minnesota time.

* The hotel had really comfy beds! I love you, Priceline!

Electronics hate me

2008-04-10T03:10:57Z

I'm having a technologically challenging evening.

First, I bought a new pedometer. Turns out it DOESN'T WORK!

Second, my iPod crashed. It's stuck in pause mode, but no pressing of buttons (no, not even Play+Menu for 10 seconds) will reset it. I have to just sit here and wait for the battery to run out and hope that fixes it.

Third, crashed iPod caused my computer to grind to a halt.

Fourth, iTunes crashed while in the middle of downloading a CD. I tried to restart the program and suddenly "a file needed to run the program is missing." WTF? So I just reinstalled iTunes.

I'm just trying to get my gear in order and packed before I leave tomorrow morning. Calgon, take me away!

can't. stop. giggling.

2008-04-08T03:34:14Z

That is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. What's more, nobody seems sure who created it or whose side it's on!

Anyway, it probably helps if you recognize most of the people in it. Darwin raising the roof just about kills me.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get in for a pedicure, because Friday is VACAY!

Friday piffle

2008-04-04T21:33:13Z

Haha! I love this site, for e-cards "when you care enough to hit Send." Unfortunately, I can think of very few people I know who would immediately appreciate the humor if one of these sentiments just randomly showed up in their inbox. Dammit.

'Tis the season for robins! I noticed the first one yesterday. Then, this morning while reading in bed I heard all kinds of twittering outside my window, and looked out to find one sitting on the roof calling to another that was on the ground below. That means spring is finally here!

Note to self: dried apricots only in moderation

2008-04-01T03:44:49Z

I ate too many dried apricots for dinner tonight. My stomach said WTF?! Urp.

Oh, something cool. I keep several change cups around the house to drop coins into when cleaning out pockets. This weekend we ran all of the contents through the coin sorter. I had $132 in change lying around! How about that?

Score x5!

2008-03-31T04:11:57Z

I've scored another free book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This makes 5 for me now, yippiee! I feel spoiled.

Hope it's good.

Laugh or cry?

2008-03-28T02:30:27Z

Thanks to Pharyngula for this story of a pitiable man who thinks he's unearthed the remains of sea dragons.

I'm working my way through the video, but it's so awful it's agonizingly painful. While this story is perhaps good for a laugh on the surface, it's dismaying on so many other levels. This poor, deluded man honestly believes he is founding a whole new branch of biological study. Unfortunately, he's seriously lacking in knowledge of fundamental geologic history, vertebrate paleontology, spelling, grammar, presentation skills, scientific nomenclature, and -- most importantly -- reality.

He's exhibiting the characteristics of an 8-year-old who has discovered "dinosaur bones" while digging in the yard. As a parent, you might encourage his eagerness for discovery and interest in science, but eventually you have to break the news that what he found weren't actual dinosaur bones. Where were this man's parents??

Seriously. 540mya? the Pre-Cambrian? He could at least have chosen a date in which vertebrates actually EXISTED!

...And I'm going to keep quiet about the conclusions I'm drawing about him inside my head based solely on his appearance...

Testing customers' IQ

2008-03-25T23:01:14Z

At the library we have two kinds of bookdrops*: an automated one that directly sends the items to be processed by the AMH, and a "dead drop" which is just a hole in the wall leading to a bin. The dead drop's contents must be emptied by hand, so we prefer that customers use the automated drop and save the dead drop for when the other isn't working. The problem is when facing the building, the dead drop is most visible, while the automated drop is a few feet away in a small alcove. This isn't the most ideal design, and you can guess what happens.

Recently we decided to put a lock on the dead drop during open hours so that our staff doesn't have to spend all day bending and emptying the dead drop by hand. Watching people walk up to the newly locked dead drop feels sort of like administering a secret IQ test. Will they notice it's locked? Will they try to fit books in anyway? Will they notice the sign directing them to the automated bookdrop? Will they walk inside and complain? Will they stomp off and try again another day?

I watched one woman get out of her car, walk up to the dead drop, frown, then stomp back to her car without returning her item. She then parked her car and came back, finding the automated bookdrop on her second try.

Most people are figuring it out. And, yes, there is a large sign (with text and an arrow!) right in front of their faces.

*While I prefer bookdrop, performing a Google Fight on bookdrop and book drop suggests that book drop is the more widely used term.

New foodie blog

2008-03-23T02:42:46Z

I've been feeling sick and miserable the past few days, so I decided to do what anyone sitting home would do in that situation: create a cooking blog! I've filled in some cooking adventures and experiments from the past few years, but I'm not quite caught up yet. I've meant to do this for some time but never got organized, although I've been taking pictures of it for ages.

So if you like cooking/food and don't already have too many blogs in your feed, consider friending victualventures. And holler if you're interested in a particular recipe -- I'd be happy to share.

Don't forget my books blog, rynerbooks, for reading ideas and reviews.

Because documenting my life for no reason is what I do best.

Good old NannyMUD

2008-03-19T04:00:09Z

Conversations like these are why I still log on to NannyMUD after more than 12 years. You can always count on refreshingly geeky banter by old, familiar faces after a day spent with mostly normal people in the real world.

Wiz Narya: WASHINGTON - President Bush says he has no doubts about launching the unpopular war in Iraq despite the "high cost in lives and treasure," arguing that retreat now would embolden Iran and provide al-Qaida with money for weapons of mass destruction to attack the United States.
Wiz Narya: See, that was the thing. He thought he was a level 20 priest and Saddam was a demon.
Wiz Narya: Treasure. Jesus H. Christ.
Wiz Belegur: I'm pretty sure Bush lacks the requisite intelligence to be a level 20 priest.
Wiz Lonewolf: Oonst.
Wiz Yaleah: OMG, Belegur, priests need high WISDOM.
Wiz Yaleah points at Belegur and snorts.
Wiz Belegur: Oh.
Wiz Belegur hmms.
Wiz Lonewolf: Bah, clerics, not priests!
Wiz Narya: Didn't int help them remember things too?
Wiz Narya: No, maybe not.
Wiz Lonewolf: Depends on how crazy newfangled you wanted to get.
Wiz Narya: Okay, FINE, so I play WoW now and haven't played D&D or AD&D or their ilk in years and years.
Wiz Lonewolf: Good ol' fashioned D&D had a Prime Requisite of 9 Wisdom to be a cleric, and that was that.
Wiz Lonewolf: AND WE NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY NARYA
Wiz Lonewolf runs away crying.
Wiz Narya: He thinks he's a level 70 holy-specced priest and Iraq was the Black Temple.
Wiz Yaleah: All these points are moot; Bush doesn't have any of it.
Wiz Belegur: Unfortunately he's got pretty decent Con. :(
Wiz Narya: Well, maybe he needs to repair his armour to get his stat boosts back.
Wiz Oak: D&D sucked. GURPS rules!
Wiz Narya: Oh, NOW we're gonna start the whole Linux-vs.-Windows thing too, right?
Wiz Yaleah: And Luck. He must be a halfling.
Wiz Moonchild: Rumsfeld's broken and can't be repaired.
Wiz Narya: "GURPS is like GNU!" "YOU SUCK"
Wiz Moonchild: And he lost Colin Powell somewhere.
Wiz Narya: Colin Powell left the guild. :(
Wiz Narya: He doesn't run dungeon raids any more. I think he's off working on his tradeskills.
Wiz Earendil: WHOAHHHHH!!!
Wiz Yaleah: The real question is, if they all played WoW, which ones would be manginas?
Wiz Moonchild: it's OK, they recruited Joe Lieberman to replace him.
Wiz Earendil: Chester Cheetoh totally, absolutely, fricking RULES now
Wiz Narya: Manginas? I don't think that's in WoW.
Wiz Earendil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X2qT7Ki29Y
Wiz Earendil: stop talking WoW and watch this cheetos advert