|
|
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
| |
10:11 am - Paging lj networking, paging lj networking
|
The credit crunch forced Jon's company to suddenly and drastically downsize last week. So, Jon is now looking to flex his big math/cs muscles on another interesting and difficult problem.
Anyone have information on what's out there, or a recommendation for where he should look? (Loose background sketch: Bachelor's in math from Harvey Mudd, PhD in CS (crypto) from MIT, Associate Professor at the Naval Postgraduate school, and work experience in computer security, programming languages, and machine learning. Also, he codes well.)
(Seriously, is it any wonder that I wanted to marry him?)
|
|
(13 comments | comment on this)
|
| Monday, September 15th, 2008
| |
4:35 pm - Ask Dr. LJ
|
|
Anyone out there a Wordpress/SQL guru? I'm having trouble with the external blogs I run that I could really use help with. My webhosting company is proving rather slower than I'd like.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Monday, July 28th, 2008
| |
10:04 pm - Entitlement
|
|
| Monday, February 4th, 2008
| |
11:15 am - Some information you may not have had
|
Please, please vote tomorrow. It's an enormous power we should not ignore or take for granted.
That said, I know a lot of people who are voting in the democratic primaries tomorrow and trying to decide between a vote for Hillary Clinton and one for Barack Obama. I'm sure by now you've all heard the press rhetoric (and candidate rhetoric) about experience vs. hope vs. blah blah blah. I don't think more spouting of campaign slogans is really going to help anyone.
But I spent some time on votesmart.org today, checking out voting records against something a friend said to me, and thought I'd share what I found with you.
First, a disclaimer: It's not much information at all--their voting records (when they both actually *voted*--I'm not counting times when one of them was absent) are almost identical. Out of hundreds of votes, the two candidates differed on six. Two of them were unsubstantial, in my opinion--a first draft of an enormous energy bill in 2005 (they both voted for the one that was eventually passed), and part of an amendment to the FEMA replacement bill (which was eventually passed 100-0). The remaining four differences are:
- Appointment of Thomas Griffith to be US Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia circuit. Clinton voted no, Obama yes. Honestly, I'm not sure this is substantive, either. Wikipedia gives me no real clue as to why his nomination should have been controversial--his credentials seem sound, and he forgot to pay his bar dues at one point.
- Funding for exploration of "mineral resources" in the Gulf of Mexico. Clinton voted for the funding, Obama against.
- Firearm Confiscation Amendment: This would prohibit homeland security funds from being used to confiscate legal firearms during states of emergency or major disasters. Clinton voted against the prohibition, Obama for.
- Cluster Munitions? This would prohibit funding for cluster munitions unless it was made explicit that they wouldn't be used near civilian populations. Clinton voted against the prohibition, Obama for.
One more little tidbit--one of the votes I was most interested in was the vote on the status of detainees at Guantanamo. Obama was missing (which irritates me, honestly, although his statement of record indicates a position and can be found here), but Clinton voted to keep detainees at Guantanamo and deny them transfer to detention facilities on American soil. This surprised the hell out of me, so I thought others might not know, either.
I'm interested in hearing about how you all go about deciding for a candidate. I think we all pay a lot of tribute to issues-driven voting, but I'm not actually sure many people make decisions that way. It seems to me that the tenor of our national races has become much more about character and style than positions lately. So what's more important to you? How do you decide what knowledge about the candidates or positions is trustworthy?
|
|
(18 comments | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
| |
11:02 am - Go go gadget social networking!
|
Our current tenants are vacating our condo at the end of December. As much as I wish we could just come home and live there, we can't. So! We're looking for new tenants as of January 1st-ish. Do you know anyone who might be interested?
( Details here! )
current mood:  tired
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, November 8th, 2007
| |
7:33 pm - Bored parents seek entertainment
|
So, one of our favorite ways to pass the time in the evenings is to play a console video game. (Usually, Jon plays while I knit and watch. Yes, we're lame and domestic, hush you.)
The problem is, we're fresh out of games to play and all of our knowledge is rather old. So, great collection of the more-technologically-savvy: What should we play next?
Absolute musts:
- Many hours of game play
- Killing people during game play is not okay with us (monsters are fine)
It's nice if:
- The game setting is original
- There's some amount of flair or humor
We've played and enjoyed:
- Metriod Prime
- Final Fantasy [VII, X, X-2, XII]
- Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Reqiuem
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- Prince of Persia
- Beyond Good and Evil
- Pikmin
- The Mario games
- Riven and Thief (we are not looking for computer games, this is just for informational purposes)
We have a Nintendo Gamecube and a Sony Playstation 2. So! What should we be running out and buying RIGHT NOW?
ETA Jon's further thoughts:
After spending some time thinking about the things I like in a video
game, I came up with the following: - I most enjoy exploring
three-dimensional, puzzle-based environments. For me, Riven was the Best
Game Ever, followed by the Thief and (later) Mario games. Prince of
Persia ranks high, too. - The game needs to have a strong and
immersive 'feel.' Whimsey seems to be best, but suspense and horror have
worked as well. Also, I get turned off by the following:
I will not play an adventure game that requires me to murder (kill a
human being with premeditation). Games like Splinter Cell and Grand Theft
Auto (from what I have seen) are right out. And even killing a human in
self-defense is iffy. And while I have no problem killing
zombies/monsters/aliens/etc. in a game, I don't enjoy combat for its own
sake. (For some reason, I don't have a problem with Soul Caliber, even
though it is all about the killing people. But as soon as you have me
murder as part of a story, with *plot*, I get up and leave.) - I
cannot pass a side-quest by without feeling compelled to execute it
whether or not it would be fun. Thus, I find games like Final Fantasy
(with overwhelming numbers of side quests and weapons to collect and
abilities to unlock and blah blah blah) to be exhausting. FF12 was fun at
first, but I found myself actively resenting it by the end. Does
this spark any ideas?
Oh-- and for those who mentioned it: We've also played the first Katamari
Damacy game and really, really enjoyed it. Good call.
current mood:  sleepy
|
|
(29 comments | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, April 12th, 2007
| |
12:07 pm - Escapism
|
I need more fun high fantasy books in my life. I want to read about worlds where magic exists, and poop doesn't.
I've read all of Guy Gavriel Kay, all of Jordan, the Coldfire trilogy by CS Friedman, and just finished Trudi Canavan's Black Magician trilogy.
Give me more recommendations!
|
|
(23 comments | comment on this)
|
| Monday, April 2nd, 2007
| |
3:56 pm - Claremont Colleges reunion
|
It's my 10th. Who's going to be there this year, other than the Herzog clan?
current mood: old
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, February 8th, 2007
| |
12:47 pm - Random Query
|
Anyone have a copy of Microsoft Office Document Imaging?
(...whatever the hell *that* is?)
I apparently need assistance in converting a document from a "TIFF-like" format into an *actually useful* image format.
Thanks!
current mood:  frustrated
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
| Saturday, November 25th, 2006
| |
6:19 pm - We realize you haven't noticed we're gone yet, but!
|
It's 90% certain we'll be in the Boston area the days and nights of Dec 27 and Dec 28.
Anyone want to get together thereabouts?
current mood:  calm
current music: "Don't Panic" -- Coldplay
|
|
(11 comments | comment on this)
|
| Monday, October 2nd, 2006
| |
9:21 pm - Today's "oh my god" moment, courtesy of The Daily Show
|
[Amy, to Jon]: Hold on hold on hold on
*beat*
[Amy, to Jon]: Did she really just say "fluffers of liberty"?!
*beat*
[Jon, to Amy]: Yes. Yes, I believe she did.
current mood:  shocked
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, September 14th, 2006
| |
11:32 am - Wow.
|
Homemade granola really is easy to make and far more delicious than store-bought.
Oh, Alton, how could I ever have doubted you?
current mood: peaceful
|
|
(12 comments | comment on this)
|
| Saturday, September 2nd, 2006
| |
1:09 pm - Success!
|
We're here! We have internet! There has been great rejoicing!
We're not unpacked, we're not registered voters yet, etc. etc., but this is still a huge milestone and something that we've been anticipating since last fall in one form or another. It feels great to have it done.
So, if any of you find yourself with an irresistible urge to see the beautiful greens of Pebble Beach, please let us know! (The Bay Area is the only place we're likely to travel any time soon; if you're there, and would like to see us, also let me know.)
Pictures and a more substantial update coming soon. For now, baby-chasing!
current mood: happy
|
|
(13 comments | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, July 25th, 2006
| |
12:54 pm - Plans and a give-away
|
The time is upon us, basically. Movers come one week from today, we spend some time in Maine, we drive cross-country, we arrive in the Monterey area by the 21st of August. Hopefully we have a place to live by then. (Please send good thoughts our way about that.)
One thing the movers won't take (well, and return to us in any kind of useful shape) is our collection of plants. If you're in the Boston area and are interested in one or more plants (we have pothos, ficus trees, a goldfish plant, cactii, and a spider plant) please let me know.
If you have anything of ours, or we have anything of yours, please contact me.
Also, I totally underestimated the complexity of a cross-country move. Even one where we don't have to pack.
|
|
(5 comments | comment on this)
|
| Friday, July 7th, 2006
| |
5:14 pm - A very sad decision
|
Despite significant effort on our part, our cat Scooby continues to be extremely aggressive with Jacob. Progressing to biting was the last straw, and we've made the difficult decision to try and find at least Scooby** a new home.
Scooby is a large white neutered male domestic shorthair, 10 years old. He's in good health and is a wonderful, wonderful companion. He seems to enjoy other cats, but needs to be in an adult-only home. (Or at least in a home with only older children.) He comes with all cat accoutrements.
**Lanfear, our other cat, has been with Scoob almost since birth.Her "specs" are the same as Scoob's except she's a girl. She's a pudgy, loudly-purring cuddlemuffin. I think it would probably be better for the cats if they stayed together, so if someone could welcome both into their home we'd like that. Scoob is the only one who is incompatible with Jacob, though.
I get nauseous at the thought of bringing Scoob to even a no-kill shelter, so I ask you, the livejournal community: Do you have room in your home and your life for this/these wonderful animal(s)? Do you know anyone who does?
Thanks.
current mood:  sad
|
|
(7 comments | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, June 27th, 2006
| |
2:23 pm - Clicky clicky!
|
Mr. Zog has, from time to time, toyed with the idea of getting his own livejournal. Sadly, the username he's thought about is already taken. Here's a gratuitous poll!
Poll #757262
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllWhat should Mr. Zog's lj username be?
If he chooses your username and sets up an account, I will make you a dessert of your choice.
Edit: Usernames can be up to 15 characters. If you have a new idea after filling out the poll, leave the name in comments.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Friday, June 9th, 2006
| |
6:30 pm - Desserts
|
*licks batter off of the paddle*
I forgot how much I liked this white chocolate cheesecake. It's totally worth the insane number of hours required to make it.
I really enjoyed reading all of your favorite inner-child desserts. It's a question I have a hard time answering myself--my mother was not much of a cook, and my father (king of the kitchen in our house) wasn't much of a baker. So I mostly favored things that seem disgusting to me now, like chocolate frosting out of a tub. :)
Hey, all you Boston folks: If I were to be insane enough to throw another dessert party before we move (I promise, more info coming on that soon)... I suppose first I should say: This is by no means a statement that I will be that insane, mind you. I'm just rolling the idea around in my head.
But if I were, and there were no theme, what would you most want me to make? If the theme were to be "Desserts 2.0: The Upgrades", what would you most want me to make? (i.e., better versions of things that are usually kind of gross, like whoopie pies)
current mood: tired
|
|
(12 comments | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, June 7th, 2006
| |
8:43 am - Too many choices
|
I'm looking to make a dessert that pleases the inner child, without being too sugary sweet. What's your favorite comfort-food dessert?
Bonus points if you tell me something more about it--why it's special to you, a story, something.
current mood: exanimate
|
|
(31 comments | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, May 24th, 2006
| |
9:41 am - Dude.
|
|
| Friday, May 12th, 2006
| |
7:23 pm - It's Official
|
In late August, our family will be moving to Monterey, CA. We are currently deciding what to do about our house. If you know anyone who might be interested in renting or purchasing our condo, please let us know.
More details later.
current mood: excited
|
|
(21 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
|
|