~Cat~Ear~Alucard~

Words of Wisdom...

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:49:56 GMT

"You know, when you have a program that does something really
cool, and you wrote it from scratch, and it took a
significant part of your life, you grow fond of it. When it's
finished, it feels like some kind of amorphous sculpture that
you've created. It has an abstract shape in your head that's
completely independent of its actual purpose. Elegant,
simple, beautiful. Then, only a year later, after making
dozens of pragmatic alterations to suit the people who use
it, not only has your Venus- de-Milo lost both arms, she also
has a giraffe's head sticking out of her chest and a cherubic
penis that squirts colored water into a plastic bucket. The
romance has become so painful that each day you struggle with
an overwhelming urge to smash the fucking thing to pieces
with a hammer." - Nick Foster ("Life as a programmer")

English

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:10:57 GMT

Correct me if this seems wrong to you:
As learning becomes more advanced in the English language, therein also lies a
point where the scholar becomes more forgiving of work breaking the rules. This
can be attributed to the feeling that the language is overly convoluted, or more
likely, we have such an exposure to the language, good and bad, that we tend to
gloss it over in our minds as we read it. Overexposure is the bane of
self-criticism and proofreading.

Your thoughts?

Well, damn!

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:15:01 GMT

Here's to me totally forgetting about Livejournal and just getting too busy with life! I'm not going to bother writing about it right now, but I'm going to try to get back on track with writing in this thing daily. Your mileage may vary, given that I've been getting roughly 4 hours of sleep a night for about the last two weeks, and that's a situation that looks unlikely to change.

So, here's an easy discussion topic. F-List, I've pretty much fallen out of the anime/game world, and I'd like back in. I only currently have a PS2, and a craptastic computer, but I might be motivated to change that. Any recommendations on either account?

Oh yeah, forgot I have a DS too. Whoops? ;P

Waha, off to class. Bye~

And here comes the awesome...>:D

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:42:56 GMT

Valentines Day

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:49:57 GMT

Happy Valentines Day

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:14:16 GMT

So, Singles Awareness is coming up.

What are you all doing?

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:10:17 GMT

After an enlightening discussion with several friends of mine, we finally figured out why Duke Nukem has been under development since forever.
3D Realms started up a massive Sid Meir LAN game. And they are still playing it.

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:36:41 GMT

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Robots...

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:05:13 GMT

Source: http://www.biggercheese.com/

Board Games

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:25:13 GMT

Got inspiration to write another short story. Enjoy.
Comments, critiques, and proofreads are appreciated.

Board Games
By Adriaan Higgs

It's that dream again. I've been having it on and off for years now. Off in the distance, tables, millions of them. All manned by couples playing board games of various sorts. I float towards the nearest one and watch...
"Check!" cries a little blond girl.
The boy mutters softly to himself, and puts some monopoly money down on the table. "One of these days, you will land on Park Place, and then you're going to regret making me give up that Railroad."
I drift on. I see another table where a boy is holding up a card with a colored word, and several others listed below it. The girl across from him also has a stack of cards as well, only she has a pie with shaped wedges in front of her. She rolls some dice and moves a piece on a board in front of her in what looks like a wheel, pulls a card, and reads off of it.
"What is a religious recognition of wedlock between two people?" she says, and flips the card down on the table.
The boy flusters for a bit, and I look at his card, curious as to what's distressing him.
MARRIAGE, Wedding, Ring, Church, Dress
"Umm...Well...You see....Cake!...And that thing with doves! In that place with the crosses and stuff! And we would be really happy!"
She smiles, and hands him a token, which seems to evaporate as soon as it hits his side of the table. "Why can't you be direct with me and say "Marriage""?
They embrace as I float away. What I would do to be able to play games like that...
Just as I think it, I realize that I've been holding a blank, unmarked box this whole time. How strange.
But as I look around, I realize that all the tables are taken. I start heading out toward the edge...
The tables grow sparser; soon I arrive in a place with people just sitting in chairs.
So many faces, and some of them are even attractive. But why aren't they playing like everyone else...?
I approach one of them, and hold out my box to her...
"Would you like to play a game?"
She nods enthusiastically, and we quickly find a table and start playing my game.
Everything goes so well. I've never been happier in my life that someone is playing by the same rules that I am.

Only much later do I realize that they were just waiting for the right moment to start playing a game of their own...

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 05:32:54 GMT

Because it's that time of year again...

Stolen from Eileen...

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:10:34 GMT

I Am A: True Neutral Human Bard (3rd Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-14

Dexterity-14

Constitution-12

Intelligence-16

Wisdom-17

Charisma-14

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Bards often serve as negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies. They love to accompany heroes (and villains) to witness heroic (or villainous) deeds firsthand, since a bard who can tell a story from personal experience earns renown among his fellows. A bard casts arcane spells without any advance preparation, much like a sorcerer. Bards also share some specialized skills with rogues, and their knowledge of item lore is nearly unmatched. A high Charisma score allows a bard to cast high-level spells.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXX (7)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXX (10)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXX (3)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Chaos --- XXXXXX (6)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXX (9)
Evil ---- XXXX (4)

Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Elf ------ XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Gnome ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXX (8)
Half-Orc - XXXX (4)

Class:
Barbarian - (-2)
Bard ------ XXXXXX (6)
Cleric ---- (-2)
Druid ----- (-6)
Fighter --- (-2)
Monk ------ (-19)
Paladin --- (-21)
Ranger ---- (-4)
Rogue ----- (0)
Sorcerer -- XXXX (4)
Wizard ---- XXXX (4)

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:18:58 GMT

Hmm. While researching short stories to write papers on, came across a fan-made timeline that was placing where Heinlein's books were supposed to be happening in regards to our own chronological timeline. Heinlein thought that we would have space colonies by 2003...
Space colonies? Hell, we don't even have flying cars yet. If I were Heinlein, I would come back from the dead, just to give the whole world a collective kick in the ass.
Cause really, that's just pathetic.
Seriously guys, what the hell?

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 04:43:00 GMT

There were things to suggest to a thinking man that the Creator of mankind had a very oblique sense of fun indeed, and to breed in his heart a rage to storm the gates of heaven.
The mugs for example. The inquisitors stopped work twice a day for coffee. Their mugs, which each man had brought from home, were grouped around the kettle on the hearth of the central furnace which incidentally heated the irons and knives.
They had legends on them like A Present From the Holy Grotto of Ossory, or To The World's Greatest Daddy. Most of them were chipped, and no two of them were the same.
And there were the postcards on the wall. It was traditional that, when an inquisitor went on holiday, he'd send back a crudely colored woodcut of the local view… And there was the pinned-up tearful message from Inquisitor First Class Ishmale "Pop" Quoom, thanking all the lads for collecting no fewer than seventy-eight obols for his retirement present and the lovely bunch of flowers for Mrs. Quoom, indicating that he'd always remember his days in No. 3 pit, and was looking forward to coming in and helping out any thime they were short-handed.
And it all meant this: that there are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal, kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
Vorbis loved knowing that. A man who knew that, knew everything he needed to know about people.
(From Terry Pratchett’s Small Gods)

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:43:51 GMT

You know you've disappeared off the far end of nerddom when you look at someone and think that they are a pallete swap of someone else you know...

Explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallete_swap

V

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:30:42 GMT

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up King and Parliament.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

Preface from "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:48:26 GMT

by Oscar Wilde

The artist is the creator of beautiful things.
To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.
The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.
The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography.
Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming.
This is a fault.
Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated.
For these there is hope.
They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.
There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.
Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.
The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.
The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass.
The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium.
No artist desires to prove anything.
Even things that are true can be proved.
No artist has ethical sympathies.
An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style.
No artist is ever morbid.
The artist can express everything.
Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
Vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art.
From the point of view of form, the type of all the arts is the art of the musician.
From the point of view of feeling, the actor's craft is the type.
All art is at once surface and symbol.
Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.
Those who read the symbol do so at their peril.
It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.
Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital.
When critics disagree, the artist is in accord with himself.
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it.
The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
All art is quite useless.

Snaps.com

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:23:21 GMT

So, have you been noticing links in LJ have been loading big pop-up previews? It's not spyware. At least, not the uninvited kind typical to the internet.
It's actually supposed to be a feature in LJ.
Think it sucks? Below is a post on how to get rid of it pretty much across any OS/Browser you have.

http://spacecowb0y.livejournal.com/281574.html

Enjoy.
-Alu

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:04:54 GMT

So, there was a fire today...
I left my window open while I went to LARP in hopes of airing out my room...
And now my room is covered in ash...;-;

Finally!

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:19:52 GMT

As we speak, my portfolio is printing.
Dear god, I am so glad to finally be done with this project.

Also, Playlist.

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:45:19 GMT

Just because I can.

Workworkwork...

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:41:56 GMT

Woo....25 pages EXACTLY on my portfolio...All that's left is typing up 4-5 paragraphs of prefaces. I already have my nice cover page printed up and everything. Still need to hijack someone's color printer so that links on some of the pages appear in blue, but other than that...I'M DONE.

Anyone willing to do a proof for me?

Also, a strange thought occurred to me the other day when I was munching on M&M Cookies...
If you were to somehow make the dough disappear, you would have little nebulas of dye around chocolate.
I think my brain has decided to go kaput on me, so I'm going to go pass out now.
Night!
-Alu

And just because it fits so well.

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:59:37 GMT

:D

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:17:45 GMT

So, thanks to my Aunt buying me a B-day present, I now have a new soundcard (which should be a relief to those rare few who talk to me on the phone) and Hotel Dusk for DS.
Today was a good day. :D
More later,
-Alu

Jonathan Coulton

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:25:16 GMT

Meh, was going to update, but don't really have the heart to. Too tired. So instead, you get two music videos from a guy named Jonathan Coulton, who is writing and releasing songs under the Creative Commons License until someone pays him to do it. He's good at it too, although his songs are a little bit softer than what I usually listen to. Still very creative and funny (although sometimes sad), and very much worth the look. Enjoy.

((Both are very worksafe))

Code Monkey

Betty and Me

P.S My sister is here from Texas now. I'll write more about it later.
Until later,
-Alu