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Friday, October 23rd, 2009
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9:48 pm - Personality Types - INFP
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So I finally feel like I have something Live Journal-esq to post about! Lately I've been taking a whole bunch of personality tests. It started at work as a casual interest (and I had taken the Myers Briggs test before), but now it's become somewhat of an obsession as I don't really feel well matched to the INFP type. I'm reading INFP descriptions and watching INFP you tube videos and I can see how it relates, but still - there's a sense that I don't fit in with these people.
So - INFP:
- Avoids conflict.
Definitely - this one describes me perfectly.
- Seeks harmony in life.
Yup.
- Prefers a few strong relationships to more broad relationships.
- Introverted: Needs alone time to "recharge".
I think everyone can see this in me.
- Care strongly about those close to you.
I feel this matches me.
- Led by emotions over logic.
- Although they may be reserved in expressing emotion, they have a very deep well of caring and are genuinely interested in understanding people.
I feel this way.
Here is where I have issues.
- Are "disorganized perfectionists" who can be too hard on themselves and don't give themselves enough credit.
I mostly agree with this, although I take some issue at perfectionism. I feel streaks of perfectionism (one common thread with INFPs is that they like to work alone and don't like to work in groups, which I am to a T), but I can be pretty lazy about things. I can let the quality of my work slide, especially if it's not high in my compassionate-about index.
- Care strongly about the world/issues of the world.
I can, and I do, but I put much more stock in intrapersonal relationships and spend much less energy speculating about the world at general. I follow politics, but on a tip-of-the-iceberg level.
- Healers, want to help people. Common careers include teaching and social work.
I have a healer tendency to those close to me, and can have compassion for making others (close and not) feel at ease, but I don't have a streak in me that wants to reach out and help others. I have little desire to become a teacher or go into social work. I can be pretty judgmental sometimes about strangers, although I do mentally add in IOUs to allow my perceptions to change if I get closer to them.
- Loner who can pop in with profound statements on life. I see some of this in me, but I go back and forth between thinking abstractly about the world and getting exciting about specifics (art, programming, relationships). I don't feel very profound at least.
- Idealistic: We see the world as one that is inherently good, full of opportunities to do the right thing. Sometimes we feel isolated in our idealism.
I do strive to do the right thing, but have a streak in me (developed) that can easily say "fuck it". In addition, I do not consider myself idealistic, more hopeful that the world will be good while feeling that it is not. I consider myself pessimistic about the world at general. I do, however, feel idealistic about people. I like to think that everyone has good in them, and I can easily feel bad for the bad guy. A small part of me feels a little isolated in my idealism in people, I suppose, but not in the sense that I gather from reading INFP profiles, and not in my idealism for the world. I feel more isolated in that I enjoy privacy while also enjoying the company of others.
- Good writers, write poetry.
I think I'm good at writing about my thoughts/feelings (as evident in this post I think), but I don't consider myself a good writer at all. I have written poetry, but only in my early college years, and I promise you all of it is pretty terrible. Writing poetry for me comes out as contrived and stiff (same with writing). I tend to turn to other types of art for expression.
- Find it difficult to express emotion (which explains the good writer bit)
I find it difficult to allow myself to express emotion, 100%, but I don't find it difficult to express emotion once I ALLOW myself to do so. Typically I would rather write about what I'm feeling that come out and say it, but if I feel safe enough to go there with you I feel like I can take that plunge and be very expressive with what I'm feeling. And again, The part of me that can express myself in words doesn't seem to translate into my writing ability outside of interpersonal expression.
- INFPs are "humanistic catalysts"
Well, somewhat, but I don't have a desire to lead and don't have a desire to teach. I am more interested in helping the people I find important so that I feel important and I feel fulfilled that everyone around me is good.
In addition, I feel that the INFP classification neglects the logical and scientific side of me. I said already that I feel more led by emotion over logic, however that doesn't mean I don't also have a logical side. I enjoy math (well, up until the point where I get over my head and then just end up feeling stupid) and have a strong problem solving side in me that I apply towards my work as a web developer/computer programmer/designer. When it comes to people I don't want to solve problems, I just want to talk it out. When it comes to non-personal tasks, I want to explore ideas and solutions. When it comes to non-personal goals and problems, I want to apply the scientific method or get down and come up with an algorithm or solution that will get the results I want. I do not feel like I am the strongest programmer, but I do feel somewhat odd that this part of me feels unrepresented.
Any input is appreciated if you have it. More info on my type here:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=INFp&search_type=&aq=f
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INFP
http://www.personalitypage.com/INFP.html
Also, I thought this was a pretty cool little graph from one of the tests I took.
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| Thursday, August 6th, 2009
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12:27 am - BLOGSPAM
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So I've put together my technical blog - if your into web dev stuff, flash, flex, what have you, check it out at http://www.zachberry.com/blog
This communication channel will now contain personal related information only, and pure technical communications will migrate to the bloggins.
Over and out.
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| Monday, May 25th, 2009
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12:26 am - Dental insurance woes
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So as I stated in my last post I am now a full-timer. I had my orientation last Friday, and now I'm trying to get my head wrapped around the various (8) dental insurance plans I have to pick from.
Basically, though, it looks like this:
Pick a HMO. Have to find a dentist on the network. No limits on how much they'll cover, but the dentist can leave the HMO at anytime and from what I understand, as an HMO patient you are seen more as a nuisance then a valuable customer, and are treated as such.
Pick a PPO. Have the freedom to pick any dentist, but really you're going to want to pick on one the PPO network to get the best value. Dentists like PPOs more, so you are treated better, but coverage caps out at 1000 to 1200 a year (which, as I have found out, is equivalent to the cap set in the 1950s! It hasn't increased in over 50 years!).
Pick an Indeminity plan. Freedom to pick any dentist, but benefits are shit (as an example - they pay 58 dollars for a crowns which typically are up in the 1000 dollar range).
Skip it. Put money in a pre-tax account, and use that.
I'm planning on a lot of dental work so I'm thinking of the first two options. Perhaps going with the HMO now, moving to the PPO later.
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| Monday, May 4th, 2009
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12:14 am - Pepsi Throwback: A Corny Conspiracy
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Tried some Pepsi Throwback today - it's Pespi made with natural sugar. It's alright, but it's not that good either - not like Mexican coke is superior to regular HFCS coke.
Read between the lines, people. I think this is all a stunt cooked up by the Corn Refiners Association. Put out a non HFCS Pepsi but botch it up so that when the non-believers try the new sugar soda we reject it and come crawling back to normal american pepsi.
One could argue that it's really about testing the waters with a sugar product since ethanol production has increased the cost of HFCS. I think this throwback stunt shows the grip that the CRA has on this nation. Pepsi starts to put this testing-the-waters product into the gears and CRA gets a whiff of something it doesn't like, and gets involved - making sure that when throwback finally hits shelves it's an unsatisifying (but not overly so) product - a experimental misfire.
I recommend you print this post out and keep it with you, for I expect this post to be deleted. Big Corn runs deep and I wouldn't be surprised if they have people in this little online journal webpage.
Over and out.
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| Thursday, April 30th, 2009
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2:56 pm
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| Thursday, March 5th, 2009
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1:36 am - Top 25 Songs I Cannot Live Without (Part I)
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Once you have been tagged, you are supposed to write down the top 25 songs you cannot live without. The ones you can listen to over and over and never get tired of. They don’t have to be in any particular order. These are the songs that make you laugh, cry, think of an old friend, whatever the reason. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.
(OK, so this is Part 1 of 2. I went way overboard with this. Please forgive the numerous grammatical errors. Also - I chose these songs for the ones that I had the deepest personal connection or strongest memories attached. If I was making an actual CD out of these, I would probably have a slightly different tracklisting.)
In no order:
Ginuwine - Pony:
I think people forget about this song. It blew my mind when I first heard it. Looking at it now, this song represents 90s music that I really remember and care about. I was never really into Nirvana, Rage, Peppers, Green Day when it was a big deal, but I really enjoyed the middle to late 90s (and bleed into 00's and now) Rap/R&B/Pop radio. Not so much 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' or N'Sync (although I have to admit I love those now - completely hated it back then), but specifically this stuff - the TLC, DMX, Jay-Z, Blackstreet, Busta, Destiny's Child, Neptunes, Timbaland, Missy Elliot, "Back That Ass Up", "Miami" etc. type music. I felt like a lot of really inventive stuff was happening, channeled out of the mainstream sources like MTV and the radio. Perhaps it was my age, but I don't get as excited about what's coming out of the mainstream as much as I did back then. Now the Internet has really changed the concept of the music video and big-movie/music tie-ins like Will Smith singing about being a cowboy are just silly. OK GO is the new style for the music video - Indie, DIY, simple, inventive. Not that I don't like it - I do - I suppose I'm just getting nostalgic for moments like watching MTV hoping for 'Say My Name' to come up in the rotation.
Back to the actual song. I keeping coming back to it. Pony still sounds pretty new to me for being as old as it is. It's also sexually charged which made High school class dances interesting and exciting, the way they should be. It's not a school dance unless you hear three DMX songs, feel awkward and one of the faculty has to remind people to keep things PG.
Only The Wind - Pet Shop Boys
Having to pick one song as a favorite wasn't simple, and I'm not really sure that this song is the right decision. One reason I picked this is because it was on the first PSB album I got (the remastered Behaviour album - First albums typically being the ones you like the most, although in this case it's probably 'Bilingual'), so there are some memories here as I was discovering them as a band. For this album they originally had attempted to go all analog and teamed up with Harold Faltermayer (who wrote Axel F - the Beverly Hills cop theme) which resulted in the sound of this song. The main drum beat is an 808 in what has to be the most un-808 use of an 808, which adds to its charm. What really gets to me about 'Only The Wind' though is the lyrics. I think Neil Tennant is an amazing lyricist. In this song, he's telling the story of an abusive relationship through the eyes of an alcoholic father. It's not an upbeat song - most definitely and completely an 'album track' for sure. But, those are the ones you end up loving in the end, I've found.
Some of my other choices: 'Can You Forgive Her', 'View From Your Balcony', 'Hit and Miss', 'That's My Impression' and 'West End Girls'.
The Meaning Of Life - The Offspring
Speaking of Pop music (my rant under 'Pony'), I really liked Americana. I know it's the sell-out album, I know it's got 'Why Don't You Get A Job', I know it's got 'Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)'. For Ian, a friend of mine at work who was with them since the beginning, Americana must represent everything wrong with the world. For me, who had no knowledge of this band pre-'Give it to me baby - UH-HUH! UH-HUH!', it was awesome.
'Ixnay on the Hombre' is better. Mike was the one that lent it to me, so I have a lot of memories of him attached with this song and the album. Specifically one time we both grabbed a bunch of our CDs to trade (a step up after trading the occasional album every once in a while). His fist-full was punk education, which included 'Ixnay', 'London Calling', the Ramones, Dead Kennedy's and a few others (like a Sugar Ray album that wasn't 14:59! Sorry, but I think Sugar Ray sound way better as a sellout band). I love 'London Calling' - it's incredible - I didn't include it because I didn't think I'd have a lot to say on it (It's like this: London Calling is perfect and therefore you don't need to say anything, you're done. You listen to it and it blows your mind, what more do you want?). This album, in comparison, is more interesting because it's not perfect - the second half is no match for the first for example. But: It rocks, it's fast and it's aggressive without sounding like a bedroom recording (which, of course, can be good sometimes). So to this song: It's really the best on there. It's something you have to listen to at an unsafe volume. As an added plus, If I was feeling pissed off/depressed I could listen to this to release steam because it makes your brain go 'FUCK YEAH, THIS RULES'.
So, in summary: This song fucking rules.
Morning After (Sunrise Mix) - Fallout
This song is off of 'Warp 10+1: Influences' which is a 2CD comp of early techno. I don't need to go on a long rant on this song, I just want to say that
A. The bassline rules, and perhaps is my favorite of any electronic song, ever, seriously.
B. Every time I hear it I go into a mini-rave-scene inside my head. I don't know how to describe it any better, so I'll leave it at that.
C. Obviously I love it, since it's on this list. Brilliance in simplicity.
Too Legit To Quit - Hammer
(For the record, even back when it happened I knew that dropping 'MC' from 'MC Hammer' was a huge mistake.)
I had to put this song on here because it was from the first CD I ever bought. I heard this song in an elementary school presentation (trying to get us to sell crap to people to make the school money) and it fucked my little brain up. It was too awesome. It was the most awesome thing I had ever heard up to that point. When the song went into the "Get buck get buck, get buck get buck get buck" breakdown and they flashed a "Get Buck" banner across the cafeteria stage I knew that I had to have this music or I would die lame and worthless. By the way - in case you didn't realize this song has about 1 minute of actual rapping and4 minutes 30 seconds of breakdowns and orchestra stabs. It's grade-A 90s.
The rest of the album is crap although I still get enjoyment out of it for the nostalgia and the 90s-ness. I listened to it non-stop back then. It's like, I knew it was kind of crap but it was still worth it for 'Too Legit To Quit', and it was my first CD so it was important.
(Also, for the record, if he ever does make a comeback, I'll be right there with him. You have my full support Hammer).
Wicked Little Town - Hedwig & The Angry Inch soundtrack:
I remember coming to Elizabeth's house to watch a movie called 'Hedwig & The Angry Inch' which has forever entered my top-X favorite movie list. This song (and album) reminds me heavily of her and Kelly. This is my favorite track, and I don't have a really cool story to go along with it - it's just my favorite. In fact, it's about 51/49 this song VS 'Wig in a Box'. Maybe I should have gone for that one just for "Suddenly I'm Mrs. Beehive, 1963." Sweet Jesus Hedwig rules.
I've since seen the play, which was equally as good as the movie.
No Good (Start the Dance) - The Prodigy
Mike again turned me onto this album after I had discovered 'Fat of the Land'. Memories of this song: Trying to find a good rave in Panama City (turns out it's not that easy), homemade raves above the Uncle Earnie's restruant for Kelly's birthday, homemade raves in my room with a few glow sticks. Thinking about it now, I never really got to experience an actual rave and I think I still have the itch. Oh yeah, and this song is amazing. If nothing else, having it at full volume driving around at night is a life-changing experience. If this makes me a poser then I think you could suck a cock and be done with it.
On The Bus Mall - The Decemberists
I really like the Decemberists, and this isn't one from High-school or childhood. I got into them at college and have, so far, seen them twice - Once with Liz around 'Picturesq' and again with Kelly, Keegan and Jacob (around 'The Crane Wife'). This song sounds beautiful, effortless and amazing. I have to think that the Decemberists don't really try that hard, they just pick up some instruments and blow people's minds. At least, it sounds that way.
Escape - 16B
For a period around 11th and 12th grade all I really listened to was 'Live Aus Berlin' by Rammstein and anything that had 'Global Underground' written on it. I don't really find myself listening to any of the Global Underground series anymore (turns out what was mind-blowing and epic is just boring and tedious actually) but I still listen to the Danny Howells NuBreed mix (and sometimes, yes, Rammstein). This 2CD set is among my favorite DJ Mix CDs ever. It doesn't sound cheeseball or boring. It has builds and slowdowns that don't just sound like the DJ needed some builds and slowdowns. I've listened to it a thousands times and, as a side-note, got me through Calculus and Physics as it's perfect study music. It also reminds me of building Half Life levels since this and Deltron 3030 was my soundtrack for the Half-Life level editor (So this song makes me think of texture mapping as a result).
This song is one of my favorites from the mix. I remember liking it so much I played it for my dad - I don't remember what he thought of it however. Perhaps your dad would like it?
Barrytown - Steely Dan
Speaking of Dads - Steely Dan. Steely Dan is one of my dad's favorites bands which, as a result, has become one of mine. Steely Dan still sounds to me like Dad music (I don't want to dissect what that means - it's just Dad Music, c'mon - you get it) but seriously, Steely Dan - while being Jazz Fusion and all the baggage that comes with that - are amazing. Each song of there's (except the new stuff - please avoid) doesn't sound like any other song crafted by mere mortals because they are obsessive about production. Listen to this song in headphones and you'll see what I mean - crystal clear without being glossy or slick. Character at supreme Hi-Fi detail. ETC.
This is off of Pretzel Logic, the first album I've heard by them. I think Aja is the critical success (or maybe Katy Lied), but I still like this one the best. Barrytown is not really 'Important' and doesn't approach hit-single territory but for me ends up being a perfect Nugget of what makes The Dan so great. Great production, catchy as well, masked lyrics and excellent playing. You can listen to it a thousand times and then hear something new - like a guitar line hidden in the background - and nothing is ever out of place, every sound has a purpose and reason. I did hear it a thousand times by the way, since my Dad is such a fan - perhaps I only like them because it was bore into my head relentlessly.
Ocean Breathes Salty - Modest Mouse
Everything kind of changed with this album. It, along with the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 'Maps' ended bubblegum pop on MTV and started the indie trend that's still going. At least that's my theory - think about it.
Anyway, this album (and this song) reminds me of Keegan since he's the bigger Modest Mouse fan and was the one that owned this album. It also reminds me of a fantastic summer when I was a sophfmore in college but was working in PCB. At this time I was hanging out with Ben Rubin, Mike, Molly, Victoria, Chris Mathers and Kelsey. This was what I was listening to at that time, and I have a lot of fond memories of that period when I listen to it.
Oh yeah, as for the song itself - Again, this one is my favorite. I could have picked 'Float On' but I suppose I'm a little tired of it now.
The Aquabats - My Skateboard!
Another Mike song. This was my real introduction to Ska. My tastes for Ska is pretty limited, but this album is, with all seriousness, music perfection and should be on top 10 lists next to The Beatles - Fuck U2, Rod Stewert and The Stones - bump them down. I've never really felt the need to get into newer Aquabats albums because from the bits I hear it doesn't hold a candle to this. I could have thrown a dart at the tracklisting and picked the track underneath the dart to go in my Top 25 and it would have been just the same. It's probably the only album where I love every single song.
'My Skateboard' is simple - Skateboard guy likes girl, Girl goes for the wrong guy, Skateboard guy is lonely. It's a song, it's 2+ minutes, it's excellent. "I just wanted you to come over/ sit on my couch and hold me tight/ but you left me for some dumb jock/ and left me at home with my skateboard tonight."
Private Eyes - Hall & Oates
Hall and Oates are musical geniuses. I don't keep up with the fucking piece of shit that is the Rock & Roll Museum, but if they aren't in there then completely fuck that shit because they did more for music than any of those cocks did by playing a few chords on a guitar. I mean, really, this song wins music. Sorry Vampire Weekend, the contest is over, we already have a winner - In case you haven't heard, the H is O.
It is perhaps my favorite song of all time. It's like they discovered the golden ratio for music - Perfect parts FM Radio, soul, funk, machines and pop, dumped it into a blender and carefully blended it on the lowest setting to create the mind-fuck that is 'Private Eyes'. It's pop music that isn't plastic and disposable. The key change FUCKS ME UP every time. When the songs goes 'clap, clap' everyone in the room is compelled to do it. You know the reason why? The clap/clap bit is the most perfect thing they could have done at that point in time in the song. But it doesn't sound obvious or cheesy. They made this amazing song and nothing about it is crap, and it's almost as if they didn't care. I feel like Private Eyes was a one-day deal: Hey man, I got an idea for a song, bang, there it is, whatever, I'm gonna go lay down and think about my brilliance for a while. The truth is, through the lens of private eyes all new music today is complete shit made by hacks. Thanks H and O for screwing it up for the rest of us.
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| Thursday, February 26th, 2009
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10:29 pm - it's all polka music
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Instructions: Open up your iTunes and fill out this survey, no matter how embarrassing the responses might be.
How many songs total: 11316
How many hours or days of music: 34 Days
Most recently played: "Debaser" - The Pixies
Most played: "Move Your Feet" - Junior Senior (I didn't realized it started looping for a few hours.)
Most recently added: "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake
Sort by song title:
First Song: "$20" - M.I.A.
Last Song: "遊園地" - Cowboy Bebop
Sort by time:
Shortest Song: "Communicator Beeps" - Star Trek Sound Effects (0:03)
Longest Song: "E2 - E4" - Manuel Göttsching (59:35)
Sort by album:
First album: "()" - Sigur Ros*
Last album: π [Soundtrack]
* My player sorts numbers and punctuation first - otherwise it'd be "Abbey Road" - The Beatles.
Search the following and state how many songs come up:
Death - 94
Life - 224
Love - 609
Hate - 21
You - 1023
Sex - 39
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| Saturday, February 21st, 2009
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1:01 am
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| Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
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9:59 pm - Taking back middle click!
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My Microsoft Cheapo Optical mouse (not the actual name) died a while ago, as they do. I think I've been through three (Note that the Microsoft website lists it as The Affordable and Reliable Optical Mouse - ha!). It had started to double click when you single clicked, which can be incredibly frustrating. I replaced it with the Comfort Optical Mouse 3000. Three thousand, of course, being the ideal number for Comfort. Set my Comfort up to 3,000, thanks.
Anyway - the thing fucking sucks. The middle click is mush-town. The wheel rocks back and forth so you can do things, but at the sacrifice of a nice reasonable middle click. You can do it, but it usually takes three tries and more finger pressure then you want to give. Why middle click? I'm a tabs man. Middle click opens a link in a new tab - something I do many many times a day. The scroll action was also disappointing, like driving a car with enough power steering to make you feel disconnected from the road but not enough finesse to feel like you were driving something classy.
So, fuck it to hell. I got a new Microsoft Cheapo mouse to replace my old. After talking about it at work, I realized that it doesn't matter if it goes bad after a few years - the thing is so cheap that I'll just buy another one.
It came in today, and what glorious pleasure! I suppose I tolerated the 3000 so long I forgot how wonderful these were. It's not a Logitech VX Revolution or anything, but it's good, non-flashy, and no BS. Two real buttons (not the flaps of plastic with a cut down the middle they like to put in mice now-a-days), a to-the-point wheel, black, is a mouse, has a cord. No battery shit, no wireless receiver. The shape is a shape that fits your hand well enough. It won't fit like a glove, but it won't get in your way either. This mouse is business and it knows that it's business. Therefore like a good business man it gets the job done. For a little while at least.
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| Saturday, January 24th, 2009
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2:39 am - Let me tell you about my rash
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I had this unassuming small red spot on my right arm which started around a month ago (perhaps more). About 1.5 weeks ago it turned into a large ring-worm looking spot. This eventually turned into a large rash - a series of small red bumps covering the center of my body (stomach, back, inner arms, groin). I was worried I had Super Ringworm, or perhaps Ringworm 64. Ringworm squared: some super infectious nasty thing.
I went to the dermatologist and it was diagnosed as Pityriasis Rosea. Essentially, nobody really knows why it occurs or what it is. It's not a bacteria, not a fungus, not a disease. It has been suggested that it's a virus, but has not been proven. It starts with a "mother patch" (my ringworm spot) and then grows from there. What rules is that the rash is completely harmless, not contagious, and eventually goes away. So, treatment is basically to do nothing. I'm not crazy that I had to pay 60 bux to be told to do nothing, but it's good to know I have this insanely interesting ... whatever it is. According to Wikipedia, it occurs in 0.13% of men.
Also, once you get it, you don't get it again. So I have to cherish my Pityriasis Rosea because once it's gone, it's gone. It reportedly lasts around a month or a month and a half, but in rare cases could last up to six months. According to the skin doc, it appears to be at the apex of rash-ness, and should fade away.
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| Sunday, January 11th, 2009
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3:59 pm - For fans of the Chipettes
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| Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
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2:21 pm - Options for when you want to eat only one PopTart
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(In decreasing order - First is best, last is worst)
1. Find a friend and give away the second PopTart
2. Put 2nd PopTart away in a plastic bag. Requires that you have a plastic bag. If you don't remember that you saved it, you may end up with multiple single saved PopTarts.
3. Just throw the 2nd PopTart away. You feel like a douche for wasting food.
4. Eat both anyway. You feel fat.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, January 5th, 2009
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10:55 pm - A falling out?
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I must say, I think I've lost that lovin' feeling with Ubuntu. What started as a bright spark has diminshed into a wimpering burn. It really started after I've been using OS X heavily for CS 3 stuff (an affair) and the latest 8.10 update which has broken a few things. Key issues:
1. The eject tray has a mind of it's own now. I have 0 confidence in any eject operation.
2. Sound is fucked. Often when I play YouTube videos or music something will freeze or no sound will play, requiring me to open up a terminal and kill pulse or firefox or both.
I know, for a free OS you might be saying 'well gee it doesn't do your laundry either, you going to complain about that?'. Well, no - but having to get my hands dirty to eject my CD or listen to it get rather annoying about the 120th time, I don't care if it was free.
There are things I love about it - installing new programs from source is a bitch but from a package manager its way better than windows or mac. The fact that it's open source, no corporate agenda, and totally free make me feel warm and fuzzy.
That said - For the most part I find myself growing disappointed with major open source apps. Gimp... I think I've made my point on how I feel about that. OpenOffice is pretty good, but it has a few minor annoyances that you find yourself running into again and again. Grip does what its supposed to (ripping music) but its about the ugliest thing you could imagine (outside of any Windows application created by Creative or Asus - dear god). EasyTag (which tags mp3s) requires fourteen confirmations and a government form to actually change the ID3 tags ('Are you sure you wanted to say you were sure?').
It's not all bad. Things that should work well do - Pidgin, FTP clients, etc. If your a programmer, Eclipse is great - but Eclipse is great on every platform. Rhythmbox is fantastic - I love it way more than the now fat-and-bloated iTunes. It's small, simple, gets the job done, and doesn't get in your way. Built-in OS stuff like making a CD is wonderful - right click on an .iso file, and select 'Burn'.
Still, I find myself having less and less enthusiasm to hunker down and figure out problems when problems arise or write scripts when I can't find a program that does what I want it to. I like the open-up-the-hood-and-lets-have-a-looksie aspect of Linux but lately for me it's been ah-lets-just-take-it-to-a-shop.
I still want to keep my Ubuntu machine (it also is a dual-boot with Vista for games), but now I usually just use my mac. It's disappointing, but true.
Hopefully we will see brighter days ahead.
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| Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
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11:37 pm - stolen recap thingy
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2008 year-end recap
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Entered the real world!
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember last years. But probably not. I will make some new ones.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Only Tom
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No
5. What countries did you visit?
None
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you didn't have in 2008?
Motivation
7. What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
UCF Graduation: Finally over, and Kris bought me a victory Pibb. One of Elizabeth's visits to Orlando: Connected to an old friend.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Graduation (or, Passing Physics 2).
9. What was your biggest failure?
Losing the 25lines.com contest! (Eventually he's supposed to post the non-winning submissions, then I'll show it to you)
10. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
No
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A used MacBook Pro
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Barack Obama
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Sarah Palin
14. Where did most of your money go?
Computers, computer parts, keyboards, cables, mixers, oh shit
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Building a home studio worth of junk, the Project Debut III turntable, passing physics 2 finally.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
MIA - Paper Planes
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?: same
ii. thinner or fatter?: fatter
iii. richer or poorer?: richer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Personal projects
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the internet (oh crap!)
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Drinking cokes, working on dad's website, messing around in Reason, hopefully making a few home movies.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yes - with the Project Debut III turntable.
23. How many one-night stands?
None
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Forensic Files
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Yes
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Donald Fagen's solo album 'The Nightfly', Half of the MGMT CD, the 'Italians Do It Better' record label, the Cool Kids, 'Leaving Me' by Aril Brikha, I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of stuff.
28. What did you want and get?
A MacBook Pro.
29. What did you want and not get?
A new MacBook Pro. The Project Debut III turntable. Full-time position.
30. What were your favorite films of this year?
Iron Mang, Hancock, Dark Knight - Those were the big ones. I'm sure I'm missing a ton.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I'm 24, and I just took it easy.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
GroupTable getting bought out by Google resulting in $$$.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
2007 + Blue Converse
34. What kept you sane?
Friends, money, music, personal projects
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm racking my brain but I can't think of a good one.
37. Who did you miss?
Farther-away close friends: Elizabeth, Mike.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I don't know if I really truly met a new person - is that sad?
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
I took to heart Steve Zissou's lesson on how he came to accept a bad-write up about him: 'I did those things... I said those things'. I may make mistakes, but fuck it, try harder next time and don't let the past drag you down.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
'You can't normalize, don't it make you feel alive' (although if I was honest, it was probably closer to 'We dig-ah... Repetition-ah')
41. What concerts did you see?
TMBG, Henry Rollins, Ladytron (again), Freezepop (I think it was 2008). I probably forgot one.
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| Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
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5:22 pm - yay!
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First school-loan payment is here, due on the 14th. Now ends the era of obsessive craigslist checking. :(
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| Thursday, November 6th, 2008
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10:32 pm - wish_list_items++
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I played around with a Moog Voyager at Sam Ash today.
Holy criz-app. I want it.
However... it costs about 2700 dollars. /facepalm.
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12:13 pm - Ranking fun-size starburst combinations from worst to best
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R = Red (Cherry)
P = Pink (Strawberry)
Y = Yellow (Lemon)
O = Orange (Orange)
Order of the first and second starburst are not important (as in, YR == RY):
10. YY
9. OO
8. YO
7. RY
6. RO
5. PY
4. PO
3. RR
2. PP
1. PR
Ranking individual flavors:
4. Y
3. O
2. R
1. P
So P > R, but I value a combination over two of the same which is why PR > PP.
You may disagree on some of these but (I hope) we can all come together as a nation and realize that yellow is the worst flavor... yes?
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| Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
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12:32 am
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| Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
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11:59 pm - a baby. also, a discussion on fallout 3.
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i fucking love this baby: http://gunshowcomic.com/d/20080916.html
I have been getting excited for Fallout 3. Not having played Fallout 1 or 2 (gasp - I know, I know) I don't fit into the 'They-better-not-fuck-it-up' category since I don't know what they could be fucking up. The Giant Bomb review says a lot of things that have me concerned though - essentially he distills it as Oblivion with guns instead of wizards and magic. Not that I didn't love Oblivion, because I do, but there are a few issues I have with it.
1. It's so huge that it's too much, too overwhelming, and the constant thought that I won't see everything offered in the game is a constant back-of-the-mind annoyance.
2. Magic travel-town. In Oblivion, you can click on any major town on the map and teleport there. That removes the fun of exploration from the game - I'd much rather have to visit a location first before I can jump there.
3. Level-as-you-go, the worst idea ever. As you level up, the enemies do as well. Which means as you get a new crazy-fire-ball super blast attack, the enemies probably have a crazy-water-blast super wave attack to match it. It's not fun! Compare it to WoW, in which you can easily explore areas which are way over your head. You won't get far because everything will destroy you, but as you progress you will feel accomplished as you blast past once forbidden areas because of your experience. In Oblivion, I'm pretty sure you can beat the game as a super-charged level 1 dude (am I right?).
Still, I appreciate the review. If you look at Metacritic you have to have a strong scroll-wheel finger to get past all of the '100' reviews at the top of the page. The same thing happened with GTA4. GTA4 rules, but c'mon people. All I ask of you is to c-mon.
I'm not sure I'll get it, although even with those issues I still kind of want to since Oblivion was so much fun anyway.
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| Monday, October 27th, 2008
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11:56 pm - an update
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Life has been a little stagnant lately, no real new developments to speak of. Currently in limbo at my job waiting for the full-time position slotted for me to solidify. My at-home web-startup job is doing good, however it sucks up free time and the weekdays end up feeling very similar from one to the next - work, home, work, sleep.
Money is fine, but I'm still concerned about student loans which will be kicking in next month. Honestly, it shouldn't be a big deal, but my fancy-go-lucky purchase decisions will need to be reduced. This means I should stop scanning craigslist so obsessively.
Speaking of craigslist, I don't think I ever talked about what I've amassed. My new 'studio' (aka, the stuff to the left of me) is now
* MicroKorg
* Korg MS2000B
* Korg Electribe ESX-1
* Yahama DX-7
So three Korgs and a Yahama. The problem now is actually figuring out how to play. I got this stuff because I wanted something more real (read: I want to make a Yaz record), but leaving the safety of the computer and tools like Reason is a scary prospect since Reason has undo, and limitless opportunity to save your progress when you start going off in tangents. Which is exactly the problem. The more options, the more things I'm not doing, which leads into being overwhelmed and then giving up.
Haven't started or started but not finished yet - that's how I feel at the moment with everything. :/
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