Well, this confirms it, the habits are pretty set in my mindset. But there's so much cool stuff on the internet, I just don't want to sleep. And I love this new Alkaline Trio album. Anyway, the real reason I'm awake at this ungodly hour is:
Google Earth
This is possibly one of the most innovative ideas that the online world has nurtured since peer to peer networking. Allow me to outline: basically, it's Google Maps, but surfaced over a 3D virtual earth. It's a program, but it's only a 10MB download, and all the details of the earth are streamed as you view them, which admittedly, takes time, even over a 2Mbit connection. But once you're viewing it from above, it gives you the incredible option to tilt from 90° to something like 5° or maybe 1°, I don't know, but it pretty much simulates flying at low angles. I zoomed into my house, and then into space in something like 5 seconds. It's breathtakingly beautiful. What's more is that they've mapped out the surface altitudes, so the mountains and hills actually take physical form when you view them from the sides. They are also in the process of mapping out cityscapes, allowing you to view cities realistically as a plane flying through.
Now, I'm not trying to sell it to you. It's free anyway, but I was genuinely amazed by this. It's stunning, and as they improve the satellite photo quality, it can only get better. If you have a computer good enough to handle the modeling and stuff, go for it immediately. It'll hit you with a big swap file though, so have some drive space. Google are selling Google Earth Servers with the terrabytes of satellite photos already there to allow standalone networks access to it.
Anyway, other than telling you about products...
I saw Jenny and Yukina again last night. It had been a while, and it was good to see them once more. Jenny has decided she will be going away next year, so I won't be seeing her as much, and Yukina's returning home in a couple of months, so I won't be seeing them much after my trip, so I'll see them while I can. Jenny got some photos of me in "girly poses", which she insists she will be posting. I might have to run approval first. I think I scared them with my outlandishly clashing colour choice, courtesy of my new wardrobe.
Anyway, before the sun rises, I'll leave you with that Google plug, and that update. Apart from a dentist appointment, and seven episodes of 24, nothing much happened today. So I'll say something important tomorrow. I'll probably see a film.
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Wednesday, 29 June 2005
Monday, 27 June 2005
Old Habits Returning
I woke today at 1:30PM. I think my old, long forgotten habits of sleeping all day are slowly returning. I must prevent this. I guess it is my fault for reading until 3AM last night. But still, I must not.
Becky came home from an almost week long Biology trip to Wales. It was good to see her again, and she said it wasn't as bad as she said it was going to be. But we pretty much immediately watched the end of 24 Season 2, which had a great conclusion. We're going to start Season 3 today, which I think is great.
In the Manga I'm reading, Bleach, I have just reached chapter 50, but as I do, they get a new translator and a new scanner. The files are more aliased, and translation spells words differently (from 'Shinigami' to 'Shinegami'), and they keep putting shadow effects in the text, which are really obsolete, because the previous scans were perfect, and didn't need any stupid visual effects to make the words more dramatic. I hope they get better or change back, I'm not enjoying it as much. Bah, I'll have to read the original soon.
I had a weird dream last night, that involved taking Kaori to Kent to see Emma, despite it not being where Emma lives in reality. And about 20 minutes into the trip, we realise we should be taking Mizuki as well. So I turn around (haphazardly, by just going over the central reservation). All this occurs, not in a car, like I would expect, but on a scooter (which greatly facilitates the hopping of the barrier on the A30whatever). Now I don't have a scooter, but in this dream I was given one, and it was pretty much new. And it was blue, like my actual car. My actual car being what Kaori and I find Emma sitting in at a rest stop on the way to get Mizuki. Now, I know that dreams generally defy physics and reality, but it seemed so normal to find her there, doors open, on the way back from a place where she doesn't live anyway. And my driving was scarily terrible. I think for part of the returning trip I didn't notice the lanes splitting, and I actually rode along the barrier between them for a good distance.
I think that dream stems from seeing my dad's old scooter and wondering about riding it yesterday. The power of the mind. I'd forgotten about it, but my subconscious hadn't.
Anyway, I'm going to go and shower, then put on the new clothes that I bought yesterday. This marks the end of the perpetual black that I used to wear, and makes it only intermittent black. Colour abound, so be prepared.
Becky came home from an almost week long Biology trip to Wales. It was good to see her again, and she said it wasn't as bad as she said it was going to be. But we pretty much immediately watched the end of 24 Season 2, which had a great conclusion. We're going to start Season 3 today, which I think is great.
In the Manga I'm reading, Bleach, I have just reached chapter 50, but as I do, they get a new translator and a new scanner. The files are more aliased, and translation spells words differently (from 'Shinigami' to 'Shinegami'), and they keep putting shadow effects in the text, which are really obsolete, because the previous scans were perfect, and didn't need any stupid visual effects to make the words more dramatic. I hope they get better or change back, I'm not enjoying it as much. Bah, I'll have to read the original soon.
I had a weird dream last night, that involved taking Kaori to Kent to see Emma, despite it not being where Emma lives in reality. And about 20 minutes into the trip, we realise we should be taking Mizuki as well. So I turn around (haphazardly, by just going over the central reservation). All this occurs, not in a car, like I would expect, but on a scooter (which greatly facilitates the hopping of the barrier on the A30whatever). Now I don't have a scooter, but in this dream I was given one, and it was pretty much new. And it was blue, like my actual car. My actual car being what Kaori and I find Emma sitting in at a rest stop on the way to get Mizuki. Now, I know that dreams generally defy physics and reality, but it seemed so normal to find her there, doors open, on the way back from a place where she doesn't live anyway. And my driving was scarily terrible. I think for part of the returning trip I didn't notice the lanes splitting, and I actually rode along the barrier between them for a good distance.
I think that dream stems from seeing my dad's old scooter and wondering about riding it yesterday. The power of the mind. I'd forgotten about it, but my subconscious hadn't.
Anyway, I'm going to go and shower, then put on the new clothes that I bought yesterday. This marks the end of the perpetual black that I used to wear, and makes it only intermittent black. Colour abound, so be prepared.
Sunday, 26 June 2005
Back to Typing
Well, that last post was kind of experimental. I used MMS to send it to an email, etc, and that's how it worked. It scratches the surface of what I think of nationalism, but it hurt my thumbs.
Google Maps have added satellite photos of loads more locations, but not actual road maps, so without knowing the exact location of what you are looking for, finding things in Paris and Iraq is very difficult. But good old Slashdot, it keeps me alert of the news. It's Sunday, early afternoon, meaning my attempts to be awake at ten were quashed by my weak will. But I will go shopping for some new clothes soon.
I watched Sin City again last night. Thank God, because that film is outstandingly good. I am going to download it, and buy it on DVD. That's something I don't do with many films. The last one I downloaded and bought? Finding Nemo. But this is better. I arrived a little late to have sushi and then watch the film, so I think I was the first person in a while to sit through the trailers, with chopsticks, dipping salmon rolls into wasabi and soy. I was done before the film started, and it was filling, and tasty. But that film, man, it still blows me away. I want to see the graphic novel, just to see if they used it as a perfect storyboard. When I remember watching the film, it's like it's a graphic novel, it feels static, and almost read.
Anyway, this is a brief post. I need some breakfast, and someone's cooking something that smells like egg downstairs. I'll be there.
Google Maps have added satellite photos of loads more locations, but not actual road maps, so without knowing the exact location of what you are looking for, finding things in Paris and Iraq is very difficult. But good old Slashdot, it keeps me alert of the news. It's Sunday, early afternoon, meaning my attempts to be awake at ten were quashed by my weak will. But I will go shopping for some new clothes soon.
I watched Sin City again last night. Thank God, because that film is outstandingly good. I am going to download it, and buy it on DVD. That's something I don't do with many films. The last one I downloaded and bought? Finding Nemo. But this is better. I arrived a little late to have sushi and then watch the film, so I think I was the first person in a while to sit through the trailers, with chopsticks, dipping salmon rolls into wasabi and soy. I was done before the film started, and it was filling, and tasty. But that film, man, it still blows me away. I want to see the graphic novel, just to see if they used it as a perfect storyboard. When I remember watching the film, it's like it's a graphic novel, it feels static, and almost read.
Anyway, this is a brief post. I need some breakfast, and someone's cooking something that smells like egg downstairs. I'll be there.
Saturday, 25 June 2005
Mobile: Sport Based Nationalism
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This is a test, just to see how mobile posting goes. I'm in my living room, on my phone, sending this message to my new blog. Wimbledon, my home town and the centre of the world's biggest Tennis Tournament, is on television.
What I cannot understand, is all the fuss over national pride. Everyone is cheering for Andy Murray. Because he's British. And if he wins, then what? Why will people be happy? It doesn't prove anything about them, and proves very little about their nationality, and all the faith put in British sport stars is misplaced. It leads to disappointment and everyone is always surprised. Well, it's just a game. But even outside games I hardly think that national pride is worth anything. It leads to nationalism and eliteism. Countries are controlled by governments, and I don't think it coincidence that members of those states follow so eagerly in the decisions that the governments make. Ultimately, national pride is a form of selfishness. It's just baseless pride, but still people cry and cheer depending entirely on how one guy is hitting a ball.
I'm just not a huge fan of sport spectating. Playing sport is great, especially solo games. I love playing Tennis but my favourite is and always has been Squash. Well, for the past six years or so. I need to play more.
I am going to try and contact friends to go and see Sin City, because it's worth seeing a few times before I download it. If I download it. I'm running out of hard drive space rapidly. I've deleted half downloaded movies and almost completed ISOs in favour of seeing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy again. I'll leave this message there. It's painful on the thumbs. I might do this more, but we'll see how it looks.
And Murray JUST lost.
The New Location
Well, if you're reading this, then you have followed your way to the new site. I have different hosting, which isn't better than my previous one, it's just larger (unlimited), and it comes with free domains, so I now have quasiblog.net, which is easier to remember, and pretty cool. Some politically minded yet infrequent poster took quasiblog.com. But if it frees up, I'll grab it. Anyway, welcome to the new site. Hopefully the archive links will work now.
It's been a couple of days since I updated, and I realise that it's less than usual, but that's mainly because: nothing's happening. It's too hot for activity, and computer activity has mainly been downloading torrents (which include some awesome new albums), and chatting to friends. I managed to do some stuff, but it's uninteresting. I picked up my passport from the Merton Council yesterday, and that was the extent of my activities. Today was, luckily, slightly different. I went out with Emma to an Italian restaurant, as tomorrow morning she leaves for Wales for 10 days. It's only 10 days, but still, she's an important enough part of my life to make an impact. But on her return, we will move into the new house. Which I want to do soon, because it's a house, and living in it makes the most of it.
We spent the rest of the evening after the meal watching wacky Japanese television. Very wacky. But just after eleven, I decided I needed to approach bed, and as I drove home, I neared a complete roadblock. Seeing a fire engine, I assumed a fire, but on bypassing it in a smaller road, I saw a silver Ford Ka: upside down. With a blonde woman inside, alive. It was a very frightening image, but I was comforted by seeing her move. It had only happened recently as they were still setting up releasing her, and still lying on the ground talking to her. She was in the driver's seat, and the other side of the car seemed pretty crushed. Any passenger would have been pretty mauled. Oddly, there was an unrelated crash that had just happened (I believe unrelated) a few hundred metres up the road where someone just crashed into a post. Not a good time to be driving on Danebury Avenue.
Anyway, with the subliminal horror-of-crashing images aside, I have had at last a relaxing few days. I helped Jenny move to Whitelands earlier, and hopefully I can take her and Yukina on a driving lesson tomorrow, which would be a bad idea if I pay attention to the highly graphic omens portrayed to me earlier, but I have no belief in that, so I'll be fine.
I'm coming to the closing tracks of X&Y, the new Coldplay album, courtesy of torrentspy.com. I would not have bought it, and if I find I like it enough, I will buy it. But I'm enjoying it free, as I feel, as a long term ripped off customer, I should be. I'll be updating the design in the next few weeks, but for now I like it as is. I'm coordinating with all my forum presence and messenger services, so it'll wait until I can make it all unify. I wish more people would use Skype. Anyway, for now, I'll be heading bedward, and making an attempt at sleep. I have early morning shopping. Goodnight.
It's been a couple of days since I updated, and I realise that it's less than usual, but that's mainly because: nothing's happening. It's too hot for activity, and computer activity has mainly been downloading torrents (which include some awesome new albums), and chatting to friends. I managed to do some stuff, but it's uninteresting. I picked up my passport from the Merton Council yesterday, and that was the extent of my activities. Today was, luckily, slightly different. I went out with Emma to an Italian restaurant, as tomorrow morning she leaves for Wales for 10 days. It's only 10 days, but still, she's an important enough part of my life to make an impact. But on her return, we will move into the new house. Which I want to do soon, because it's a house, and living in it makes the most of it.
We spent the rest of the evening after the meal watching wacky Japanese television. Very wacky. But just after eleven, I decided I needed to approach bed, and as I drove home, I neared a complete roadblock. Seeing a fire engine, I assumed a fire, but on bypassing it in a smaller road, I saw a silver Ford Ka: upside down. With a blonde woman inside, alive. It was a very frightening image, but I was comforted by seeing her move. It had only happened recently as they were still setting up releasing her, and still lying on the ground talking to her. She was in the driver's seat, and the other side of the car seemed pretty crushed. Any passenger would have been pretty mauled. Oddly, there was an unrelated crash that had just happened (I believe unrelated) a few hundred metres up the road where someone just crashed into a post. Not a good time to be driving on Danebury Avenue.
Anyway, with the subliminal horror-of-crashing images aside, I have had at last a relaxing few days. I helped Jenny move to Whitelands earlier, and hopefully I can take her and Yukina on a driving lesson tomorrow, which would be a bad idea if I pay attention to the highly graphic omens portrayed to me earlier, but I have no belief in that, so I'll be fine.
I'm coming to the closing tracks of X&Y, the new Coldplay album, courtesy of torrentspy.com. I would not have bought it, and if I find I like it enough, I will buy it. But I'm enjoying it free, as I feel, as a long term ripped off customer, I should be. I'll be updating the design in the next few weeks, but for now I like it as is. I'm coordinating with all my forum presence and messenger services, so it'll wait until I can make it all unify. I wish more people would use Skype. Anyway, for now, I'll be heading bedward, and making an attempt at sleep. I have early morning shopping. Goodnight.
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