Bold Little Me

2d to 3d

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:57:35 GMT

I was looking at the stripes on a barber shop light from the bus the other day, vaguely remembering how the red stripe has something archaic to do with surgery.

I started wrapping thick straight lines around and realized they would never reconnect on the back side as they were. In my mind, I slid the straight line in a way that allowed it to wrap around the 3d cylinder and connect all the way around.

In what dimension was I sliding that line? "sliding" isn't probably the perfect word. basically instead of just smacking down the 2d object in mass, I was laying down the 2d object one tiny segment at a time and kind of forcing the 2d object boundary's angle to change so I could accomplish the task.

Is there a name for doing something like that?

Probably I need a white board, but I thought I'd ask on the off chance that someone is able to piece together my poorly worded description and voila! answers.

It struck me that there's something interesting that changes between a 2D and a 3D interface - i.e. we can take advantage of the 3D space and dimension to fundamentally change how the 2D object interacts.

Vladimir the Poet

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:25:58 GMT

He's been wandering Pioneer Square at lunch time for the last three days.

He is dark dark-skinned black, his accent African, his tone soft and polite. His eyes focus in slightly different directions and a long time ago, he had a head injury which is long healed and scarred and set. He and his clothes are clean.

On Monday, I was walking past Elliott Bay Book Co. when he stepped forward from where he was standing, and said, "Excuse me, I am writing poems, are you busy?"

I looked him in the eyes and said, "I am." I kept walking to lunch, but his manner struck me.

On Tuesday, I was walking down Jackson and he stepped forward at Occidental, and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, I am writing poems. I am a Shaman among my people in [country I don't remember]. What is your name?"

I stopped reading and looked at the stack of free postcards in his hands and the poised pen. "What is your name?" I asked him.

"Vladimir."

"Hi, Vladimir. I'm Kim." I shook his hand.

"Can I write you a poem?"

"Not today. But I think I will see you again." I kept walking to lunch, and this time his manner struck me even more. I turned back, and he was walking in the other direction.

Today, I was walking down 1st Ave after lunch and he stepped forward from where he was standing, "Excuse me, ma'am, I am writing poetry."

I was reading, and I looked up into his eyes and smiled. I kept walking.

"Ma'am." He paused. "Ma'am, excuse me."

I kept walking.

At the end of the block, I turned around. He was walking in the other direction.

Does he want money? Are they good poems? Is his name Vladimir today? Does he recognize the people he speaks with everyday? I don't know.

Perhaps next Monday I will see him again and find out.

Interesting conversation starters

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:35:20 GMT

In Seattle this week only, Artifacts of Consequence:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/85816
(saw it last night. wow.)

and a Wall Street Journal conversation with a guy named Cormac McCarthy who wrote a post-apocalyptic book called The Road:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704576204574529703577274572.html

Tao of the Day

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:29:40 GMT

Tao of the Day

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:58:55 GMT

Know what is enough - abuse nothing.
Know when to stop - harm nothing.
- Lao Tzu (#44, trans. Addiss & Lombardo)

Tao of the Day

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:31:11 GMT

I once gave a talk entitled "The Role of Ignorance in the Creation of a New Species." I'm basically an ignorant person who knows very little, because I don't have a good memory. The good thing, though, is that if you're ignorant, you don't know what cannot be done. All my life - professional life, university life and so on - I always took advantage of that, by not knowing what couldn't be done. That's how I've been able to think outside of the box. Because I am ignorant, I just start by making or designing things.
- Ugo Conti
"A Feel for Engineering: Ugo Conti's Proteus boat reflects a unique instinct for design" by Todd Lappin, O'Reilly's Make magazine, issue no. 19

Tao of the Day (13/44 mashup)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:35:51 GMT

Hope is as hollow as fear.
Have faith in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking
The whole world belongs to you.

- Lao Tzu (trans. Stephen Mitchell)

People

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:00:15 GMT

Last night, I met a guy with Othello's "Love Too Well" tattooed in braille on his forearm.

Westerfeld Word List

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:31:22 GMT

Scott Westerfeld, the famous author of the young adult series Uglies and Midnighters, also wrote a 2 book adult space opera series that I'm in love with. If you liked Ringworld by Larry Niven, I highly recommend The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld.

He also insisted on expanding my vocabulary pretty significantly.

ablative the case of nouns and pronouns indicating an agent, instrument of location (... what? context: "The ablative suit was mostly gone now...." I was thinking maybe the heat tiles that fall off on shuttles during re-entry are ablative, but maybe I made that up)

analysand a person undergoing psychoanalysis

celerity archaic or literary swiftness (esp. of a living creature)

colloid substance consisting of ultramicroscopic particles; a mixture of such a substance uniformly dispersed through a second substance, esp. to form a viscous solution; a substance of a homogeneous gelatinous consistency

coruscate give off flashing light; sparkle

corpulent satrap bulky-bodied subordinate ruler or colonial governor

diaspora the dispersion of a people

effulgent radiant; shining brilliantly

egress exit, a way out

insensate without physical sensation, unconscious; without sensibility; stupid

phatic used to convey general sociability rather than to communicate a specific meaning, e.g. "How do you do?"

pointillism a technique of impressionist painting using tiny dots of various pure colors, which become blended in the viewer's eye
Ex. p. 22 The Killing of Worlds: "The sharp, determinate math of trajectories and wind smelled like camphor, rang in her ears with vibrato-free, pointillistic notes on a handful of flutes, one for each variable."

quotidian daily, of every day; commonplace, trivial

simoom a hot, dry, dust-laden wind blowing at intervals esp. in the Arabian desert

sirocco a Saharan simoom reaching the northern shores of the Mediterranean; a warm rainy wind in Southern Europe

tattoo evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters; elaboration of this with music and marching, presented as an entertainment; a rhythmic tapping or drumming

vertiginous of or causing vertigo

To Do:
• boloid [ocean]
• lamina cribrosa
• mesopause
• mycoid
• telomere decay
• whisketter

Unless otherwise noted, definitions are from my Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, which I lovingly deface every time I have to look up a new word. :>

Tao of the Day

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:18:22 GMT

when i look around
i think this, this is good enough
and i try to laugh
at whatever life brings
cuz when i look down
i just miss all the good stuff
when i look up
i just trip over things
- "as is", ani difranco

Tao of the Day

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:38:52 GMT

Self-reliance conquers any difficulty.
- Yogi tea tag.

I'm going to be an aunt.

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:41:00 GMT

My brother is having a baby.

It's due in November.

Tao of the Day

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:14:43 GMT

Why, why?
Tell them that it's human nature.
- Michael Jackson, "Human Nature"

You know how when Tori Amos did "Smells like Teen Spirit" suddenly the song was a whole new song, the same song but with its soul reunited?

Jason Webley Trio's tribute of "Human Nature", same thing. Poignant far beyond its initial release.

I haven't found a recording from Oregon Country Fair, but here's what I found from his 11th Anniversary show at Seattle Town Hall.

Tao of the Day

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:47:15 GMT

If some part of him stands out as if a superior representation of his nature,
he will not surrender the rest of his nature to it.
- Lao Tzu (#2, trans. Bahm)

BSD parody Mac vs. PC

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:42:28 GMT

2 of my very favourite semi-famous nerds

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:35:33 GMT

Faraday Romanticism

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:27:20 GMT

"Spurning all honours for himself, Faraday disparaged inventors with mercenary aims, declaring that the pursuit of truth should be a reward in itself."
- Patricia Fara, Entertainment for Angels: Electricity in the Enlightenment

It seems to me that the open source community is filled with Faraday romantics.

Electricity in the Enlightenment - Word & Notions List

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:18:23 GMT

An Entertainment for Angels: Electricity in the Enlightenment by Patricia Fara

acrimonious bitter in manner or temper
American Philosophical Society http://www.amphilsoc.org/ founded by Benjamin Franklin
consonant consistent; in agreement or harmony
contravene infringe (a law or code of conduct)
contrivance
1. something contrived, esp. a mechanical device or a plan
2. an act of contriving, esp. deceitfully
3. inventive capacity
corpuscle a minute body or cell in an organism, esp. the red or white cells in the blood of vertebrates
hagiography the writing of the lives of saints
inculcate urge or impress (a fact, habit, or idea) persistently
Leyden jar an early form of capacitor consisting of a glass jar with layers of metal foil on the outside and inside
The London Electric Dispensary WikiPedia doesn't have an article on this place. Someone should write it. The name alone makes me want to write stories, and re-watch Return to Oz.
mastoid a conical prominence on the bone behind the ear to which muscles are attached
mezzotint a method of printing or engraving in which the surface of a plate is roughened by scraping so that it produces tones and halftones
phlogiston a substance formerly supposed to exist in all combustible bodies, and to be released in combustion
polemic
1. a controversial discussion
2. a verbal or written attack, esp. on a political opponent
rationcinate go through logical processes of reasoning, esp. using syllogisms
syllogism a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions (premises)
sophistry the use of sophism
sophism a false argument, esp. one intended to deceive
tetanus a bacterial disease affecting the nervous system and marked by tonic spasm of the voluntary muscles
tonic anything serving to invigorate
torpor torpidity
torpid sluggish; inactive; dull; apathetic; numb; dormant
torsion twisting, esp. of one end of a body while the other is held fixed
valetudinarian a person of poor health or unduly anxious about health
vitreous of, or of the nature of, glass
The Young Gentlemen's and Ladies Philosophy p. 12 "In each chapter, the knowledgeable Cleonicus patronisingly explains the rudiments of a different branch of natural philosophy, the study of nature. By using terms so simple that even [his sister, Euphrosyne] can be expected to understand them, this artificial dialogue implicitly advertises that natural philosophy can be understood by everyone."

© 1998 DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary

Can you give me an example of a syllogism? I'm not sure I understand that one yet.

Religious Tolerance - Religious People are Crazy

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:06:29 GMT

A good friend of mine of faith posted this. Thank you, S!

Tao of the Day

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:17:28 GMT

Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Lovecraft Mieville Word List

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:21:48 GMT

machicolation furnish (a parapet, etc.) with opening between supporting corbels for dropping stones, etc. on attackers
corbels projection of stone, timber, etc., jutting out from a wall to support a weight

The City & The City by China Miéville
Dreams of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft

© 1998 DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary

Linkin Park & the value of Information

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:44:47 GMT

I wanna run away
Never say goodbye
I wanna know the truth
Instead of wondering why
I wanna know the answers
No more lies
I wanna shut the door
And open up my mind
- "Runaway", Linkin Park

I wish to assert that whoever wrote these lyrics values Information.

(Jake's Core Values for Pondering the Motivations of People in Interpersonal Relationships: Information, Time, Comfort, Assets/Money, Power/Status)

These lyrics resonate with me. To me, what's implicit in it is that I would never run away and not say goodbye, because whether or not these people I need to walk away from value information, I do. It's a cruelty, by my standards, to not tell people why if they want to know. That desire to shut the door, open my mind is, to me, the desire to not need to know why, to be Zen. I rarely attain that state.

This gets me into an awful lot of trouble on occasion.

I experience lack of information as emotional and even sometimes physical pain.

And now, I need to go re-engage in my life and live it, instead of just thinking about how I do it. Analysis paralysis begone.

Information
Time
Comfort
Assets/Money
Power/Status

Which do you value the most?

Tao of the Day

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:28:04 GMT

The sun shines half a day,
The moon dominates the rest.
Even contemplation should have its proper duration.
- Deng Ming-Dao

Coping Mechanisms for Anger

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:48:23 GMT

I came to anger late in life. I'm behind the curve.

What do you do when you're really, really angry?

Teach me what you've learned.

With small anger, I go for long walks or take a hot bath, and wait for it to settle.

Big anger is a lot more difficult. I don't really have any good coping mechanisms for it, and I always feel an overwhelming urgency to stop feeling that way, and that combined with my generally useful carpe diem philosophy ... great anger is a sizable risk for me, as you might imagine.

Thankfully, I don't feel it very often.

Unfortunately, that also means I rarely have to deal with it, so I come up short.

I would very much like to learn from your experiences, so please do share if you are willing to do so.

I think my cousin also recommended an Anger Mgmt book to me awhile back, and maybe that would give me some good tools too. Hmm.

Self-responsibility

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:31:25 GMT

It bears repeating.