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| Monday, May 13th, 2013 | | 11:50 pm |
What is the face of a machine?
I missed the whole "IBM's Watson on Jeopardy" thing the first time around (probably in part because I don't watch TV). Caught up on the coverage this weekend - just before attending a furry event where I'm pretty sure nothing happened that was illegal in Texas. It was all interesting, but the piece I liked the most was how they constructed Watson's face. That's a real mixture of art and programming that I can appreciate. | | Friday, April 12th, 2013 | | 4:39 am |
I Am a Camera!
Since my well-used K10D DSLR was stolen at FC, I've been considering my options. My needs are the same as five and a half years ago - a rugged tool for photography at a reasonable price. I still have most of the Pentax lenses - unfortunately, my DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited was on it at the time - so I was strongly biased towards Pentax. Fortunately, they have a good deal - the K-5. Yes, it's 2010's model, but I'd rather take the $300 savings for a used model over the K-5 II, which is at best an incremental upgrade. I used 2/3 of that to acquire a replacement for the 40mm - the 35mm f/2.4. Not quite as compact, and it's a plastic body, but from what everyone says, the output looks great. As a plus, I might be able to capture video with the new model. It won't be fancy, but better than not having the option at all. Current Mood:  complacent | | Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 | | 6:26 am |
Anthrocon 2013 flights booked - next up, room!
I was almost resigned to paying American $440 to get to AC this year, then up pops my Kayak alert - DFW-PIT return via Delta, for just $301! . . . sure, it's via Minneapolis, but that just means more miles, right? :-) I actually have enough miles to book the flight with them (legacy of flying out of Detroit for six years), but at this price (deep-discount V-fare on all segments) it doesn't make much sense. Better to save them for a later - hopefully more direct - flight. Departs at 7AM, but it wouldn't be the first time; it gets me there before registration opens on Thursday, and I'll have plenty of time to say goodbye on Monday with a 5:25PM return. Fun fact: Spirit have just started flying to Pennsylvania from DFW; unfortunately, their flights land at an airport over an hour's drive from Pittsburgh. Add in a taxi and a train ride (if you can fit the schedule) and it's just not worth it. Was an interesting option to investigate, though. Next up: Hotel room. Anyone got a slot free? (Thursday night-Monday morning, obviously. Not that picky about location.) | | Friday, March 22nd, 2013 | | 1:55 am |
| | Monday, March 11th, 2013 | | 1:20 am |
| | Tuesday, December 25th, 2012 | | 1:30 pm |
Heading to FC - any room?
It's that time of year again - Further Confusion! I'm flying out early on Friday morning, and would need a room for Friday night to Tuesday morning. Anyone got a slot? I can pay my way, don't have much in the way of luggage, and I don't drink or smoke. Any of the three hotels are fine. Would prefer a bed space if possible, fine with sharing. | | Sunday, September 9th, 2012 | | 3:03 am |
Two good things!
So the tests are in . . . and the results are good! My c-reactive protein is down from 64 mg/L last month to 5, which is technically just inside normal. My sedimentation rate is 29 mm/hr; still high, but about half what it was (and it goes down more slowly anyway). The upshot: methotrexate is working. I have a slightly increased prescription, and we'll see how that goes. Secondly, my Series 7 Slate shipped; I should get it next week, and the gift card a little later. I'm hopeful that it's the new one with the keyboard dock, since they just started releasing hands-on reviews, and it's officially shipping with Windows 8. Looks to be the ultimate art machine, too - a real computer powerful enough to do everything you need while also letting you draw on it at 1080p resolution like a tablet (because it is one). Maybe I should try dusting off my tablet software . . . Update: Of course, they shipped it to the wrong address. Let's hope they can fix that before it gets here! Also, looks like it's the old one, but hey, still, free PC. :-D Current Mood: cheerful | | Saturday, August 18th, 2012 | | 7:36 pm |
On the plus side!
The Wednesday that I got my prescription, I went to a Windows 8 Hackathon, where I spent about eight hours mocking up an app based around displaying recent/popular submissions to Inkbunny. Yes, I played the furry card, explaining the potential of 100,000 users to the voting audience . . . and I won! Specifically, I won a Samsung Series 7 tablet, or something close to it, and a $500 gift card (probably to the Microsoft Store). I've not received it yet, so I don't know exactly what I can do with it, but it looks to be a useful "second screen" to have around. And hey, if I can finish that app, all the better. No point in having a comprehensive API if it's not used . . . (And a moment of irony - I used a Google Engage for Agencies promotional mouse to help test the pinch movement, since my tablet's side-slider didn't count as a wheel-roll.) Current Mood: pleased | | 2:59 pm |
My only regret . . .
It started with a stiffness walking into the office from the parking lot each morning. At first I put this down to my move to Texas, and spring weather - I'd had a cold the first few winters in Michigan. My kneecap came out of alignment, but was fixed after a few days of wrapping. My hands hurt, but I type a lot, so I figured it was just a bit of RSI. A few months later it became hard to get out of my car; then, out of bed. I tried a memory-foam bed topper, which helped, but not enough. By July, I was in pain just trying to raise my arms over my head to get a shirt off in the mornings, or to get to sleep at night; rolling into the shower had become a fifteen-minute ordeal. Yes; like that guy, ( I have BoneitisCollapse ) Current Mood:  pensive | | Thursday, July 19th, 2012 | | 1:56 am |
RP in RL: the CrayolaPad
When roleplaying online, one of my regular props is the CrayolaPad, which I typically describe as looking much like a souped-up Etch-a-Sketch, complete with rounded knobs, brightly-coloured plastic exterior, and a fun sound whenever you shake it on or off. It's the perfect PDA for a norn, suitable for reading, drawing and taking and showing photos while being spill-resistant and Grendel-proof. Well, it looks like my idea was ahead of its time, because Crayola actually made a CrayolaPad Light - presumably sans electronics and shakiness. Useful for those who want to make fun drawings on the go! (Thanks to  ceralor for the photo.) Current Mood: amused | | Sunday, July 15th, 2012 | | 9:28 pm |
| | Thursday, June 7th, 2012 | | 3:48 am |
| | Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | | 2:01 am |
The inevitable conclusion
In retrospect, it's obvious - as books become increasingly less relevant to daily life, they are relegated to being design accessories. Still, I'm not quite sure which is more horrifying; that you can buy books by the foot, or that they had to put green on sale. Current Mood:  horrified | | Thursday, May 17th, 2012 | | 12:00 am |
| | Thursday, May 10th, 2012 | | 8:08 pm |
American Express's Serve needs some work
Serve is (roughly speaking) American Express's response to services like PayPal and Dwolla. I became a member through RevolutionMoney, which they bought out. ( Here's my recent (poor) experienceCollapse )Don't get me wrong - this was initially my mistake. However, the end result was not a good support or product experience. It compares poorly with competitors and I am more inclined to use and recommend them as a result. I do not really blame the support representatives for this, more the system that they are interacting with, which does not appear to empower them to do their jobs, any more than it empowered me to avoid a support request in the first place (by, say, letting me retarget a pending transaction, or telling me the address wasn't linked with a Serve account). Oh, and the kicker? The third-party support response survey I was sent about the phone call timed out (who lets sessions recycle after thirty minutes?!). When I tried to return, I was told I couldn't submit "another" survey, even though I hadn't finished. So I'm posting it here, for all to see. Update (11 May): Serve's social media group apparently has greater access than the front-line support; my issue was escalated and resolved earlier this afternoon. I hope the underlying issues can also be resolved eventually. Current Mood:  aggravated | | Sunday, April 29th, 2012 | | 2:06 am |
Headed to Califur?
I'm planning a trip to Califur at the start of June; I've never been, and it's now relatively close. It's also the site for this year's Ursa Major Award ceremonies, and as there's a chance the sites I work on might win, I'd like to be there in person. I know how I'm getting there, and when - Friday evening to Sunday afternoon - but I don't yet have a place to stay. So: if you happen to have a room for Fri/Sat night, and need to fill some space in it, let me know! (I'll also be at Anthrocon, Thursday night until Monday afternoon, but I've got accommodation for that.) Current Mood: organized | | Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 | | 8:45 pm |
| | Monday, March 26th, 2012 | | 6:25 pm |
| | Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 | | 5:15 pm |
MediaWiki 1.17.3: $bytes != $buffer
Heh. Patched to MediaWiki 1.17.3 on WikiFur - I start testing and getting a strange notice whenever I try to login. Fortunately I know where to go . . . #mediawiki! After talking with the developer concerned, it seems I ran into a bug in the new mcrypt code. Good that we found it, but bad in that it'll need another patch of MediaWiki - and because they're about to make another release, there are three versions that need patching (1.17, 1.18, and the 1.19 beta, plus the trunk). Edit: Found another! Broke email confirmation on 1.17, probably just the display of the expiry time on later versions. Current Mood:  geeky | | Monday, March 19th, 2012 | | 3:29 am |
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