Tagged : Flash

in Life of Giang

It’s because we don’t…have…maps…?

So, today at work Ai found a geography quiz online, and we both proceeded to prove to each other how little world geography we knew. In fact, to be brutally frank, we had a hard time with the US. Ai did better than I did, but it can probably be said that neither of us knew as much as we ought, given the fact that we are intelligent, educated adults.

Curt basically kicked our asses – he only missed one in the US map (Delaware), aced the Middle East, and pretty much everything else in the world except for Africa, which nobody seems to know, to our shame.

Argh. Must educate self.

in Life of Giang

Humbug wakes early this year

Last year on Black Friday, I bought glass ornaments and yarn. This year, I am thinking about actually doing Christmas shopping.

And that’s ridiculous.

I am not immune to Christmas, of course: the shiny lucre, the stuffs-getting. But how much stuffs do you and I really need? Not very much. I would wager that if you are here and reading this blog, you’re in my circle, and that renders unto you certain privileges: shelter, food, people who love you, and EXTRA TOYS (like teh internets). Granted, many more people have more toys, better toys, toys with more flashing lights! And this is not to say they should not – it’s the only life you have, and after all, stuffs is very nice.

But it’s just stuffs. Humanity has gone to fodder in its quest for stuffs – the finding of it, the mining of it, the buying and selling of it. I, at least, have too often wanted things that I do not need, and convinced myself I would never be happy until I have it (whatever it is) – of course, only to get it and realize that it did not make a hair’s breadth of difference in how happy I am. I have Wanters disease, the only known cure being a good swift kick in the ass to remind me of how goddamn lucky I am to have breath still in me, relative health, and the love and respect of a good man.

How’s that for badass!?

;)

in Art, Design, Photography

Two Hours

I have hacked the hell out of this template, and am now mostly satisfied with it. There are still little fixes to be made here and there (the RSS titles don’t match the others and it’s driving me crazy), but here it is, more-mostly-done than before! Eventually, I’m going to Flash out the header. We’ll see how that goes. For now:

1. There’s a Photoblog page! It’s sequentially separate from the main blog. Eventually there will be pictures there every day. Until I get lazy. It’s up there. /points up

2. Archives are also their own page. Found a neat plugin to take care of everything for me, so now I don’t have to bother with an ugly drop-down or the space-wasting full list. Also up there. /points up again

3. I installed the Amazon Showcase widget, so now my reading list is automatically linked with Amazon. Because manually coding a new link every time I finish a book is just so hard. The widget is in the sidebar.

And in a month, I’ll be sick of the sight of it. ;)

I think we’re going to the Air Museum this weekend. Maybe Joshua Tree on Sunday.

I’m burnt. I need to sleep. I have two extra hours tonight – zzzz….

in Art, Design, Photography, Books, Poetry

Do you like werewolves? Well, do ya!

One of my guild buddies Fish Fishwell (clever pseudonym of [the clever pseudonym] Matt Maxwell [he insists that is his real name, but we know better]) is the writer of a comic book (graphic novel) called Murder Moon (clever new-do-nym of the comic book [graphic novel] formerly known as Strangeways). Check it out. It’s pretty cool!

A little background…
http://www.highway-62.com/blog/archives/2007/09/the_story_so_far_2.htm

And a trailer!

in Life of Giang

15 Minutes

…left of my lunch, and I haven’t a thing to do. Wastrel! If I lived in a developing country, I would be scurrying down the mountain to the well and back or perhaps killing a chicken for my dinner, but alas, I am a rich American and people are paid to kill chickens for me! Hence, I can afford to sit and blog aimlessly for 15 minutes.

I am thinking of re-doing the blog. Again. These cosmetic changes are nothing to do with me, and I have found nothing on the internet – including pay-for templates – that really does anything for me. I want a site that does stuff, like honking. Also, I’m not a big fan of the current design trend that puts all the content in a squishy box instead of making use of the entire browser window. It’s alright…but I can do better. Maybe Flash!

We do not have anything planned for the weekend. Curt has gone bonkers for WoW, and sighs explosively when I ask him to slow down so I can keep up with his mad l33t levelling skills. I remember those days. Is it weird that WoW makes me feel old?

I plan on making every attempt to go nowhere this weekend, so I can get to the “hobbies” boxes that have been stacked in my living room for the last year. Did I ever complain about not having a hobby? Madness!

This entry is all text, and my 15 minutes is up.

in News, Politics

Newsworthy News

I Am My Own CDC

There is a big hunk of pork in the kitchen, and I have no idea what I’m going to do about it. When I see pork, it always reminds me of my younger brother because everytime he sees pork, he starts to make noise about about trichinosis. Trichinosis: is it cuter than salmonella?

Because that’s salmonella, and it’s pretty damned cute.

So, pork…or blog? PORK…OR BLOG!

Return of the Loch Monster!

So, some Yorkshireman has stirred up those squirrelly Scots by video taping what he alleges to be the Loch Ness Monster. People will start showing up wearing t-shirts that say “I BELIEVE”, and there’ll be the campfire song rituals to entice Nessie out of the lake, and some poor ungulate will lose its life when they realize that Nessie, like all loveable beasts, is attracted to the scent of MEATS. I have watched the video – whatever it is is definitely moving swiftly. It may, indeed, be Nessie. Them crocs live a long time.

The TB Guy

Andrew Speaker: the TB Guy. No, no, wait: the xDRTB Guy. Says this: “I’m a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person. This is insane to me, that I have an armed guard outside my door, when I’ve cooperated with everything other than the whole solitary-confinement-in-Italy thing.” Nice excuse for getting on the plane, pal. What an ass. Mind you, not more of an ass than other people. Just your garden variety ass. With xDRTB.

“It’s Not eGay, it’s eHarmony!”

Gay people are suing eHarmony for catering mostly to Christian people. It’s ridiculous and understandable all at once. I am tempted to say, “Why do you want to play with those kids anyway?” but then, again, if I were gay and hemmed in on all sides by people who would deny me rights because they don’t like my private life, I’d want to change things too. Principles, principles! But, c’mon, it’s eHarmony. Filing a lawsuit to use eHarmony is like waiting in line to watch Mariah Carey’s Glitter. Go forth somewhere else and multiply, my happy friends, this is so not the promised land.

Steve vs. Bill: Who’s Hotter?

Yesterday Steve Jobs and Bill Gates interviewed live at All Things D, a Wallstreet Journal sponsored tech convention. When they panned out at the crowd, I saw drooling geeks of all ages (mostly male), wearing the same suspenders, and I thought, “FREE SUSPENDERS! DAMNIT I MISS EVERYTHING COOL!”, but came to realize they weren’t suspenders at all, merely those badge-laces that hang around your neck at conventions. I felt a little better about not having been there, but a little sadder about living in a world where nobody gives out free suspenders at conventions. (/sigh) ANYWAY – a few months ago I told Orange that I thought Bill Gates was cuter than Steve Jobs. I still think Bill is hotter in his own quiet, sounds-like-Kermit, richest-man-ever way. I will admit though, that Steve Jobs ain’t lookin’ shabby these days! He’s like a black-turtle-neck-wearing Bad-Boy O’ The Geeks. I even see flashes of the Jean-Luc Picard in him when he turns his head in the light just so…

We geeks see things differently than you mere mortals. Move along, then – I have pork to wrestle with.