A Little Artificial Reality Never Did Any Harm
I spent this evening poring over some old DVD and CD backup discs I had made over the years. Some of the things I found I wish I would have left un-found. Others I was surprised to see. Though not complete, it is nearly so, and is therefore fit for remembrance. I give you the original Artificial Reality (the band) Official website of the past!
Rands Speaks for Me
The Gel Dilemma is written about something I’ve been pretty adamant about for the past few years. Since I discovered the G-2 Gel Pens from Pilot, I’ve been hooked. I love the solid lines, and the fun effects that can result from my sloppy writing style. It gives my writing that much more character. Rands, its not his real name, has covered the topic in detail. He has discovered recently that he cannot locate his favorite writing utensil in stores. Alas it is time for him to switch. Surprisingly he has done something I never thought to do. He actually purchased several styles of gel pen and put them all to the test. The Pilot G-2 came out on top. Though it isn’t everything he would wish it to be, it has proven itself a formidable utensil for the job. I couldn’t agree more.
If you’re wondering why Rands and I are so oddly outspoken about our pens, well, I can’t help you. You’ll just have to try out the G-2 for yourself.
If you like what you’re hearing, you’re in luck. There is much more odd, nerdy, well-written goodness over at www.randsinrepose.com. I specifically recommend the following:
- The Nerd Handbook - a guide for those with nerd significant others
- Nerd Attention Deficiency Disorder - a fictional disease that classifies most nerd behavior
I hope you enjoy his prose as much as I.
Internet Radio Lives
SKY.fm Internet Radio | Enjoy amazing Free Internet Radio stations
Somehow, Internet Radio is still around. Its good to see that those greedy bastards haven’t gotten their way yet. SKY.fm is optimistic it seems. They have just added several channels.
- Solo Piano
- Piano Jazz
- Bossa Nova Jazz
- Simply Sountracks
- Contemporary Christian
I’m currently chilling to Bossa Nova Jazz, but Piano Jazz is looking more attractive. I’m currently writing my resumé. It will be found at the resumé Link above. I’ll include my LinkedIn profile ‘Web Systems Architect / Systems Administrator‘. I’m really enjoying the Piano Jazz station on SKY.fm right now. I recommend it.
Indica, Laid to Rest.
Our dog Indica died today. The whole family went to Matthew’s new house to help him move. Indica came with us because like I said, the whole family was going. We left her there behind the house on Kernsville road in Orefield, Pennsylvania. In the ground overlooking a field which can no longer be farmed because of the layer of shale that is about 2 feet down. She looks over the field and lays beneath the stars. Guarded by Matthew and a tree line, she sleeps an endless sleep. A cross made of sticks and pliable flower stalks marks her grave.
Those who knew her would agree that she was the best dog they had ever met. She will be sorely missed. At six years old she never mothered a single litter. Sadly, Indica’s mild manners have no heir.
Sensai told us that Indica told her that it was okay and that she’d be born again as a new puppy. Regardless, Sensai didn’t want to leave Indica in the ground. I can’t understand how she is dealing with this tragedy so well. She told us that she was sad, and that she would miss her dog. She also showed me a dance that she claims would have kept Indica from going into the road.
Rest in peace, Indica. You will be missed and your memory shall be celebrated.
Re: Lifecode: From egg to embryo by self-organization
There has been some recent ‘buzz’ lately stating that PZ Myers has outright called Stuart Pivar a “crackpot.” I have read as much of PZ’s writing on Pivar that I can find. I am unable to say confidently that he did in fact call Mr. Pivar a “crackpot.” It may be implied by Mr. Meyers that Mr. Pivar’s work is completely unfounded by any standards. By he never outright called the man a crackpot. I for one believe that the lawsuit is absolutely ludicrous.
Allow me to point out a passage on Mr. Pivar’s publisher’s website.
“Axiom House publishes works of fiction. In these novels, names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Opinions expressed therein do not necessarily represent the opinions of either Axiom House or the respective authors.” quoted from here.
Am I to understand that Mr. Pivar’s “book” was published by a company that only publishes works of fiction? If that is true would it not also imply that Mr. Pivar’s work is that of fiction? Certainly we can all agree on that by reading PZ’s summarization without even noting the passage above.
Regardless of that, it seems that Mr. Pivar’s work is completely unsupported by the publisher. I would regard this is a smart move for them to make. It seems that Mr. Pivar has been mis-quoting and downright making things up and listing it as a quote from several respected members of the scientific community. An example which I will quote below can be found here.
“Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson
Another possibility is that life has encoding that has nothing to do with DNA. That would be more important for biology than finding other life with DNA, because it would be a way to encode life that no one has dreamt of before No mere mathematical curiosity, this physically plausible model should be investigated seriously by biologists.
Neil de Grasse Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium”
The quote above which was attributed to Mr. Tyson was taken from an interview three years ago.
As you can probably tell by the URL of the link to that page, this was taken down. There is another page that was removed from view which can be found here.
Someone mentioned that Mr. Pivar must have access to some high-grade Marijuana. I have done some digging and I found an old photo of Mr. Pivar with Andy Warhol “packing a bowl.”1,2
1 “Packing a bowl” is a common term used by “potheads” to refer to the placing of marijuana into a glass pipe which is commonly known as a “bowl.”
2 Disclaimer: This image was borrowed from pittsburghlive.com and can be found here. I do not claim ownership to the rights of this image and use it only for satirical (parody) purposes.