A new telescope?
I currently own a Meade 2045 telescope but am looking for a bigger model. Somoene from my astronomical society wanted to hold a telescope party in which we showed our scopes to the rest of us. I figured this would be a good place to find out what scopes are available. It was not the best day to do it, as it was pouring rain much of the time. Some of us showed the hand-made scopes we made, including one called the StarStalker, named that as no commercial ad-generating enterprise will want a name like that for their scope. I got interested in the Meade LX-200, a solidly built telescope that takes 15 minutes to set up. It is a go-to scope, meaning that if you want to see the Ring Nebula, you bring up Ring Nebula in the little remote-like device that comes with it, press Go, and it slews the scope to it and hopefully you will see it. But it weighs a lot! Further, there is so much gadgetry and details involved. At $1,500-$2,500, it is a rather expensive gizmo. Still, it may be ideal to show to the public at skywatches because of the "go to" features. But if I think it is too symbolic of the conspicuous consumption in this country, I may settle for a ten-inch Dobsonian telescope: you plunk it on a lawn, use the guide scope to move the dob to your object, using old-fashioned star-hopping, and look. I still have not decided what to do.
A Journey through Blogrealm
Blogtrek
Blogtrek
2002/11/16
2002/11/14
Autumn Maple
In 1992 August we purchased a Norway red maple for our yard. It was a little taller than us, with only a thin (maybe an inch) trunk. Since then it has grown into a nice pear shape and as tall as our two-story house. It is a beautiful tree. This year the leaves stayed green all October, the first time I have seen that happen here. After the first week of November, the leaves turned into a brilliant shade of red. I took a few pictures of it admired its beauty. In just ten short years, we now have the prettiest tree on the street. Sad to say, its autumn glow did not last long. This week, some windy storms came, and all of the leaves dropped off to the ground, leaving me with a leaf raking chore this weekend. But it was something to see while it lasted.
In 1992 August we purchased a Norway red maple for our yard. It was a little taller than us, with only a thin (maybe an inch) trunk. Since then it has grown into a nice pear shape and as tall as our two-story house. It is a beautiful tree. This year the leaves stayed green all October, the first time I have seen that happen here. After the first week of November, the leaves turned into a brilliant shade of red. I took a few pictures of it admired its beauty. In just ten short years, we now have the prettiest tree on the street. Sad to say, its autumn glow did not last long. This week, some windy storms came, and all of the leaves dropped off to the ground, leaving me with a leaf raking chore this weekend. But it was something to see while it lasted.
2002/11/13
Like Iraq!?
I would think that GM would stop these commercials hawking its SUVs, trucks and vans. I keep hearing about the Chevy Tahoe, how it is "like a rock". But that sounds a lot like "like Iraq", and while Saddam runs that country, I don't think anyone, no matter what their stand on war in Iraq is, would want themselves or items associated with them to be anything like Iraq. But if GM wants to be known in the future as having these SUVs that are like Iraq, that's their call.
Not a War
This is an interesting web site: http://irregulartimes.com. It has articles from an independent minded Republican; certainly not your run of the mill Republican. He's an "irregular Republican". Especially interesting is the article Not a War. In the article, entitled "When is a war not a war? When it's a crime", he maintains that the campaign against terror is not a war, because it is not against a nation; otherwise, anyone can attack our soldiers or our installations and claim that they are fighting a war against our country. Terror, such as what happened on 2001 September 11, does not come from a nation and so therefore it is not a war. It is an interesting article although somewhat overdrawn. His main point I feel is valid: our effort to combat terrorism is not a war.
Negative blogs
I note that I have been posting a lot of negative blogs as of late. Perhaps that is because times are negative: war with Iraq, stock market dropping, the sniper. I think we should all try to find good and happy things in life, and I shall try to find some myself.
I would think that GM would stop these commercials hawking its SUVs, trucks and vans. I keep hearing about the Chevy Tahoe, how it is "like a rock". But that sounds a lot like "like Iraq", and while Saddam runs that country, I don't think anyone, no matter what their stand on war in Iraq is, would want themselves or items associated with them to be anything like Iraq. But if GM wants to be known in the future as having these SUVs that are like Iraq, that's their call.
Not a War
This is an interesting web site: http://irregulartimes.com. It has articles from an independent minded Republican; certainly not your run of the mill Republican. He's an "irregular Republican". Especially interesting is the article Not a War. In the article, entitled "When is a war not a war? When it's a crime", he maintains that the campaign against terror is not a war, because it is not against a nation; otherwise, anyone can attack our soldiers or our installations and claim that they are fighting a war against our country. Terror, such as what happened on 2001 September 11, does not come from a nation and so therefore it is not a war. It is an interesting article although somewhat overdrawn. His main point I feel is valid: our effort to combat terrorism is not a war.
Negative blogs
I note that I have been posting a lot of negative blogs as of late. Perhaps that is because times are negative: war with Iraq, stock market dropping, the sniper. I think we should all try to find good and happy things in life, and I shall try to find some myself.
2002/11/12
Theft of time?
I found an editorial in the local newspaper that takes a stand that I question. The editorialist condemned the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) for its "terrorist" actions. I for one believe that the actions of the ELF do damage to the cause of environmentalism and preserving this planet as a place of beauty to live. They cause people to oppose ELF, and hence by association, environmentalism.
However, I take exception to one comment that the author makes. He quotes from the science fiction novel Dune in which he says that depriving a man of an hour and depriving him of his life is merely a difference of degree. He cites the case of a person who has to replace the tires of an SUV after they get slashed. If that's the case, then I can name quite a few mass murderers. Take the computer companies, for instance, especially Microsoft. Think of how much time has been wasted, probably billions of person-hours, because computers crash. How about the time wasted waiting for service at some of these computer and cellular phone places? I did not have cable modem service for four days, when it was the modem that was bad instead of all the other things they had me do and had me waste 10 hours or so on. Today I was forced to wait two hours for a service only to be told that I had to make an appointment another day. How about all the times that car repair places misrepaired my car or made me wait a long time for it? If this editorialist is correct, this constitutes many killings worth of time many thousands of time over.
I have never thought of things this way. To me there is a difference of level as well as one of degree between a vandalism and a murder.
Pure Theater
President Bush called the action of the Iraqi parliament in unanimously rejecting U.N. Resolution 1441 "pure theater". Interesting way of putting it. At least I'd rather have pure theater than polluted theater or dirty theater. Maybe he means a theater that has been scrubbed of germs so that you won't catch a cold there, or maybe he means one in which all of the things that are done and all that the actors ever do is devoted to producing plays in a theater. It is pure theater, and nothing else but theater. In any case, Bush still says that Iraq must comply else there will be another kind of theater - a military one.
I found an editorial in the local newspaper that takes a stand that I question. The editorialist condemned the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) for its "terrorist" actions. I for one believe that the actions of the ELF do damage to the cause of environmentalism and preserving this planet as a place of beauty to live. They cause people to oppose ELF, and hence by association, environmentalism.
However, I take exception to one comment that the author makes. He quotes from the science fiction novel Dune in which he says that depriving a man of an hour and depriving him of his life is merely a difference of degree. He cites the case of a person who has to replace the tires of an SUV after they get slashed. If that's the case, then I can name quite a few mass murderers. Take the computer companies, for instance, especially Microsoft. Think of how much time has been wasted, probably billions of person-hours, because computers crash. How about the time wasted waiting for service at some of these computer and cellular phone places? I did not have cable modem service for four days, when it was the modem that was bad instead of all the other things they had me do and had me waste 10 hours or so on. Today I was forced to wait two hours for a service only to be told that I had to make an appointment another day. How about all the times that car repair places misrepaired my car or made me wait a long time for it? If this editorialist is correct, this constitutes many killings worth of time many thousands of time over.
I have never thought of things this way. To me there is a difference of level as well as one of degree between a vandalism and a murder.
Pure Theater
President Bush called the action of the Iraqi parliament in unanimously rejecting U.N. Resolution 1441 "pure theater". Interesting way of putting it. At least I'd rather have pure theater than polluted theater or dirty theater. Maybe he means a theater that has been scrubbed of germs so that you won't catch a cold there, or maybe he means one in which all of the things that are done and all that the actors ever do is devoted to producing plays in a theater. It is pure theater, and nothing else but theater. In any case, Bush still says that Iraq must comply else there will be another kind of theater - a military one.
2002/11/11
Looms
I have noticed recently that the media likes to use the verb to loom a lot. The war on Iraq looms, unemployment looms, the top-rated Florida State Seminoles loom, new restrictions on tax shelters loom. Everything seems to loom. Here a loom, there a loom, everywhere a loom loom. Don't they get tired of using that word?
How about "approach ominously", or "is coming" or even my nonword ominate? The impending war with Iraq ominates while Iraq mulls U.N. Resolution 1441. Budget cuts ominate. At least it is new and different. But don't use it too often. Else the day when everything ominates in the media will loom.
I have noticed recently that the media likes to use the verb to loom a lot. The war on Iraq looms, unemployment looms, the top-rated Florida State Seminoles loom, new restrictions on tax shelters loom. Everything seems to loom. Here a loom, there a loom, everywhere a loom loom. Don't they get tired of using that word?
How about "approach ominously", or "is coming" or even my nonword ominate? The impending war with Iraq ominates while Iraq mulls U.N. Resolution 1441. Budget cuts ominate. At least it is new and different. But don't use it too often. Else the day when everything ominates in the media will loom.
2002/11/10
Bubble Bees Revisited
Bubble Bees has become my favorite game on the Internet. It is relatively easy to play, has a few mysteries to pique you, and, most importantly, is non-violent. I have played many games and have deduced a few rules which I feel should have been stated up front;
1. Fast red bees are 50 points.
2. Catching two objects (clocks, ordinary bees, or red bees) gets you 100 points.
3. Catching an ordinary bee by itself counts 10 points, but does not count anything if caught with other objects; then you get the bonus instead.
4. Catching a clock gives you 5 more seconds.
5. You have 60 seconds to start with
6. Going past a multiple of 500 gets you 10 extra seconds.
7. Catching three objects at once gets you 500 points.
8. Catching four objects at once gets you 1000 points (not 2500 points).
9. Bubbles vary in size.
My strategy has improved over time and my high game is now 6,230 points. Here are some of my strategies:
1. Balance between snatching bees before time passes and waiting to get more than one at a time.
2. Catch single bees while you can while you wait for two bees to get close enough to get the 100-point bonus.
3. In catching the clock, you need to put the bubbler lower than usual, especially near the bottom of the screen.
4. Wait, if possible, to catch the clock until it is near some bees, so that catching it will get a bonus.
5. Wait, if possible, to catch the fast red bee until it is near some other bees, so that catching will get the 100-point bonus.
6. Bees porpoise up and down and go at different speeds. If you watch their flying pattern, you can anticipate groupings.
7. When your score has a 4 or 9 as the hundreds digit, catch whatever you can, even if it be ordinary bees, to get you over the next multiple of 500.
8. It is better, when going after two bees, to miss them both than to catch just one of them. If the latter happens, your chance of getting the 100-point bonus with them is forever gone. I call this a "chop", borrowing the term from bowling.
9. Don't snare bees immediately upon going on the screen. You miss groupings by doing that.
My high score is 6,230, which is a far cry from the six-digit amounts that are on the top 10 list. How does one get those? I counted the bees once and determined that in 10 seconds, 8 bees appear on the average. To stay in the game indefinitely, you need to get 500 points every 10 minutes, with a little help from the clocks. To get 500 points out of 8 bees, you need to snare three of them together or catch them with the clock and the fast red bee. Usually they are too far apart to catch in pairs, so I don't see how one can last a long time in the game to get those six-digit scores. I tried stretching the bubbles, but there is only so far that they will stretch. Another way in which you can get high scores is if catching huge bunches of bees gets you tremendous scores. That is whay I thought that 4 bees would get you 2,500 points, 5 gets you 12,500 points, and 6 gets you 62,500 points, each one being 5 times the previous. But when I caught 4 bees once, it yielded not 2,500 but 1,000 points. Apparently it goes up only arithmetically. So that rules that out.
So how then does one get those six-digit scores? There must be an Easter egg in the game.
Bubble Bees has become my favorite game on the Internet. It is relatively easy to play, has a few mysteries to pique you, and, most importantly, is non-violent. I have played many games and have deduced a few rules which I feel should have been stated up front;
1. Fast red bees are 50 points.
2. Catching two objects (clocks, ordinary bees, or red bees) gets you 100 points.
3. Catching an ordinary bee by itself counts 10 points, but does not count anything if caught with other objects; then you get the bonus instead.
4. Catching a clock gives you 5 more seconds.
5. You have 60 seconds to start with
6. Going past a multiple of 500 gets you 10 extra seconds.
7. Catching three objects at once gets you 500 points.
8. Catching four objects at once gets you 1000 points (not 2500 points).
9. Bubbles vary in size.
My strategy has improved over time and my high game is now 6,230 points. Here are some of my strategies:
1. Balance between snatching bees before time passes and waiting to get more than one at a time.
2. Catch single bees while you can while you wait for two bees to get close enough to get the 100-point bonus.
3. In catching the clock, you need to put the bubbler lower than usual, especially near the bottom of the screen.
4. Wait, if possible, to catch the clock until it is near some bees, so that catching it will get a bonus.
5. Wait, if possible, to catch the fast red bee until it is near some other bees, so that catching will get the 100-point bonus.
6. Bees porpoise up and down and go at different speeds. If you watch their flying pattern, you can anticipate groupings.
7. When your score has a 4 or 9 as the hundreds digit, catch whatever you can, even if it be ordinary bees, to get you over the next multiple of 500.
8. It is better, when going after two bees, to miss them both than to catch just one of them. If the latter happens, your chance of getting the 100-point bonus with them is forever gone. I call this a "chop", borrowing the term from bowling.
9. Don't snare bees immediately upon going on the screen. You miss groupings by doing that.
My high score is 6,230, which is a far cry from the six-digit amounts that are on the top 10 list. How does one get those? I counted the bees once and determined that in 10 seconds, 8 bees appear on the average. To stay in the game indefinitely, you need to get 500 points every 10 minutes, with a little help from the clocks. To get 500 points out of 8 bees, you need to snare three of them together or catch them with the clock and the fast red bee. Usually they are too far apart to catch in pairs, so I don't see how one can last a long time in the game to get those six-digit scores. I tried stretching the bubbles, but there is only so far that they will stretch. Another way in which you can get high scores is if catching huge bunches of bees gets you tremendous scores. That is whay I thought that 4 bees would get you 2,500 points, 5 gets you 12,500 points, and 6 gets you 62,500 points, each one being 5 times the previous. But when I caught 4 bees once, it yielded not 2,500 but 1,000 points. Apparently it goes up only arithmetically. So that rules that out.
So how then does one get those six-digit scores? There must be an Easter egg in the game.
2002/11/07
Anti-muslimism and Anti-whitevanism
In the past two years two types of discrimination have appeared. The first appeared after Planeattack, and was directed against Muslims, since it was Muslims who piloted the planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. People looked askance at them, or anyone of Mideastern descent, because of Planeattack. The second appeared while the DC sniper was terrorizing the Washington-Richmond area and was directed against owners of white vans. Police inspected these vans much more than other cars, and people started to avoid and look wary of white vans.
There are similarities and differences between the two discriminations. They are similar in that they are based on unwarranted stereotypes - the Mideasterner as suicide bomber and the white van owner as a sniper. These stereotypes are frequently wrong; it was for the sniper case, as the snipers did their killing from a Chevrolet Caprice instead. The two discriminations are also based on the same human emotion: fear. It is different in that a person's religious beliefs are much more integrated with the person than what kind of vehicle he drives. The anti-Muslim beliefs also are more like to turn into hate, as they are directed against people, while the white-van fear was directed against things.
The white van discrimination makes it clear that discrimination of other types frequently is based on fear. This makes it important that community groups be organized once in a while to allow people to experience each other as for a common cause. This could go a long way to alleviating the fear.
In the past two years two types of discrimination have appeared. The first appeared after Planeattack, and was directed against Muslims, since it was Muslims who piloted the planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. People looked askance at them, or anyone of Mideastern descent, because of Planeattack. The second appeared while the DC sniper was terrorizing the Washington-Richmond area and was directed against owners of white vans. Police inspected these vans much more than other cars, and people started to avoid and look wary of white vans.
There are similarities and differences between the two discriminations. They are similar in that they are based on unwarranted stereotypes - the Mideasterner as suicide bomber and the white van owner as a sniper. These stereotypes are frequently wrong; it was for the sniper case, as the snipers did their killing from a Chevrolet Caprice instead. The two discriminations are also based on the same human emotion: fear. It is different in that a person's religious beliefs are much more integrated with the person than what kind of vehicle he drives. The anti-Muslim beliefs also are more like to turn into hate, as they are directed against people, while the white-van fear was directed against things.
The white van discrimination makes it clear that discrimination of other types frequently is based on fear. This makes it important that community groups be organized once in a while to allow people to experience each other as for a common cause. This could go a long way to alleviating the fear.
2002/11/06
Bomb Iraq with...
One of the more interesting pastimes I found on the web is to hunt in Google for a famous phrase with one word changed. Take, for example, "Loose lips sink ships." If I want to get the entire phrase except the word "lips", I enter "loose * sink ships" -lips, telling Google I want "loose" followed by any word (the wild character *) followed by "sink ships", and that I don't want the word "lips". The first entry I get is "loose chips sink ships", which may be appropriate for today's cybernetic world. "Give me liberty or give me *" -death yields "Give me liberty or give me, um, a Game Boy", and then "Give me liberty or give me Microsoft". Have it your own way. If I star the liberty instead, I get "Give me pixels or give me death." They probably mean the Blue Screen of Death. "Read my lips, no more *" -taxes yields "science" first, then "terror" and "Bush". The choices get better all the time. I tried "Bomb Iraq with *" and got this list:
Ballots
Food
Lots of smart bombs
Blair's backing
our a*hole smart technology
Prayer
Sh*loads of DU
No provocation
Love
Really bad jokes
As you can see, some interesting alternatives.
One of the more interesting pastimes I found on the web is to hunt in Google for a famous phrase with one word changed. Take, for example, "Loose lips sink ships." If I want to get the entire phrase except the word "lips", I enter "loose * sink ships" -lips, telling Google I want "loose" followed by any word (the wild character *) followed by "sink ships", and that I don't want the word "lips". The first entry I get is "loose chips sink ships", which may be appropriate for today's cybernetic world. "Give me liberty or give me *" -death yields "Give me liberty or give me, um, a Game Boy", and then "Give me liberty or give me Microsoft". Have it your own way. If I star the liberty instead, I get "Give me pixels or give me death." They probably mean the Blue Screen of Death. "Read my lips, no more *" -taxes yields "science" first, then "terror" and "Bush". The choices get better all the time. I tried "Bomb Iraq with *" and got this list:
Ballots
Food
Lots of smart bombs
Blair's backing
our a*hole smart technology
Prayer
Sh*loads of DU
No provocation
Love
Really bad jokes
As you can see, some interesting alternatives.
2002/11/05
Election Night
It seems the Republicans have the advantage tonight. That could have been predicted in advance, in my opinion. If the election had been held in July, Democrats would have swarmed into power in both houses. The reason why the Republicans have the advantage is that the economy seems to be doing better. The stock market is consistently going up; the days of the ebearient plummets of July and August are gone. The economy is the dominant determiner of elections by far. How else can you explain a popular victorious war president with a 90% approval rating losing to someone who had extramarital affairs, especially after the Gary Hart affair of 1988? The economy was in recession in 1992, and that cost George H. W. Bush the election. Good economies explain the victories of Reagan in 1984, Bush in 1988, and Clinton in 1996, and bad economies explain the defeats of Ford in 1976 and Carter in 1980. So who's going to win in 2004? I predict a booming economy in 2004, so I think Bush will be reelected. However, there may be an electricity shortage then due to lack of power plants, and if that occurs, a Democrat will be elected President. Elections ultimately reduce to bread and butter.
It seems the Republicans have the advantage tonight. That could have been predicted in advance, in my opinion. If the election had been held in July, Democrats would have swarmed into power in both houses. The reason why the Republicans have the advantage is that the economy seems to be doing better. The stock market is consistently going up; the days of the ebearient plummets of July and August are gone. The economy is the dominant determiner of elections by far. How else can you explain a popular victorious war president with a 90% approval rating losing to someone who had extramarital affairs, especially after the Gary Hart affair of 1988? The economy was in recession in 1992, and that cost George H. W. Bush the election. Good economies explain the victories of Reagan in 1984, Bush in 1988, and Clinton in 1996, and bad economies explain the defeats of Ford in 1976 and Carter in 1980. So who's going to win in 2004? I predict a booming economy in 2004, so I think Bush will be reelected. However, there may be an electricity shortage then due to lack of power plants, and if that occurs, a Democrat will be elected President. Elections ultimately reduce to bread and butter.
2002/11/03
Media Ambiguity
Today CNN came out with an article entitled "Saudis: No Bases for Iraq Strike". CNN, that has two meanings! The Saudis could mean either. It depends on what "bases" is the plural of. If it is the plural of "base", it means that Saudi Arabia will not allow use of its territory for a US strike on Iraq. If it is the plural of "basis", then it means that the Saudis feel there that there are no reasons why the US should invade Iraq. Both sound reasonable, so CNN needs to reword its headline to tell which one is meant.
OK, so CNN took down that ambiguous headline from its web site. Then they come up with another ambigublooper just a few hours later! "Election 2002 hours away", screams the headline. Assuming the election begins on 2002 November 4/5 midnight, they are saying that right now is 2002 August 13 at 1400 hours, 2 in the afternoon. Obviously it is not. What they really mean is "Year 2002 Election hours away", meaning "Year 2002 Election is hours away". Let's hope most of their news is more recent than 2002 August 13.
Metaphors in mathematics
I attended a mathematics conference over the weekend. One of the more interesting talks I attended was one by Jennifer Bergner of Salisbury University, who illustrated by example the use of metaphors to illustrate mathematics. A math professor says, "Let P be a point". What are you thinking of? A point. Right. But what do you imagine when the professor says "point"? Most people, she finds, think of something that is round, like a circle or ball. Theoretically, a point is a one-element set, an infintesimally small extent at a specific point in a line or plane. But we don't think like that. We need to imagine something, so rather than imagining a tiny five-pointed star, or even a tiny square, we imagine a little filled-in circle. According to one book I read, indeed a circle is a fat point.
Here are some other metaphors that come to mind when I hear words:
bird - a passerine bird, such as a warbler (NOT a duck or an ostrich, in other words).
rodent - a mouse.
building - a moderately tall brick edifice
forest - a mid-latitude deciduous forest
vehicle - a minivan
car - a Toyota sedan
and so forth. This shows that we may think of general or abstract concepts by imagining something
that is concrete.
Today CNN came out with an article entitled "Saudis: No Bases for Iraq Strike". CNN, that has two meanings! The Saudis could mean either. It depends on what "bases" is the plural of. If it is the plural of "base", it means that Saudi Arabia will not allow use of its territory for a US strike on Iraq. If it is the plural of "basis", then it means that the Saudis feel there that there are no reasons why the US should invade Iraq. Both sound reasonable, so CNN needs to reword its headline to tell which one is meant.
OK, so CNN took down that ambiguous headline from its web site. Then they come up with another ambigublooper just a few hours later! "Election 2002 hours away", screams the headline. Assuming the election begins on 2002 November 4/5 midnight, they are saying that right now is 2002 August 13 at 1400 hours, 2 in the afternoon. Obviously it is not. What they really mean is "Year 2002 Election hours away", meaning "Year 2002 Election is hours away". Let's hope most of their news is more recent than 2002 August 13.
Metaphors in mathematics
I attended a mathematics conference over the weekend. One of the more interesting talks I attended was one by Jennifer Bergner of Salisbury University, who illustrated by example the use of metaphors to illustrate mathematics. A math professor says, "Let P be a point". What are you thinking of? A point. Right. But what do you imagine when the professor says "point"? Most people, she finds, think of something that is round, like a circle or ball. Theoretically, a point is a one-element set, an infintesimally small extent at a specific point in a line or plane. But we don't think like that. We need to imagine something, so rather than imagining a tiny five-pointed star, or even a tiny square, we imagine a little filled-in circle. According to one book I read, indeed a circle is a fat point.
Here are some other metaphors that come to mind when I hear words:
bird - a passerine bird, such as a warbler (NOT a duck or an ostrich, in other words).
rodent - a mouse.
building - a moderately tall brick edifice
forest - a mid-latitude deciduous forest
vehicle - a minivan
car - a Toyota sedan
and so forth. This shows that we may think of general or abstract concepts by imagining something
that is concrete.
2002/10/31
Halloween
It's that scary time of the year again. So scary that for the first time that I can remember, the head of my work unit let out everyone at 1630 (4:30pm) regardless of their actual work hours, so that people driving home would not have to drive through trick-or-treaters. We had our share of trick or treaters tonight, but it is less than previous years. Perhaps people are being more cautious and taking their children to Halloween parties of having them trick or treat. Here are the amounts per year:
Apparently I lost the file in going from one computer to another; I recovered most of it but I don't have figures for 2000. Here is how in these five years the trick or treaters broke down as far as half-hour period is concerned (I use 24-hour time; for example, 1800 is 6 o'clock):
1730-1800, 0.9%
1800-1830, 27.1%
1830-1900, 24.1%
1900-1930, 20.9%
1930-2000, 17.2%
2000-2030, 9.2%
2030-2100, 0.5%
This shows that most of the trick-or-treaters come between 6pm and 7:30pm. The earliest I have seen one is 1748 (12 to 6 pm), and the latest 2048 (12 to 9 pm). Some come between 7:30pm and 8pm, but then it really drops sharply after that. This enables one to plan for Halloween, what time to come home, how long to leave the pumpkin and candy out and so forth.
I dressed up as a magician with an Aladdin-type costume, with black with blue silk design on it, with a dreamcatcher on a necklace. I put devil-ears on top that I bought at Busch Gardens this past summer just before Imaginique; some child though I bought it at King's Dominion instead. One young lady said I wasn't a devil because I was dressed in blue and black. Devils are dressed in red. This is an observant and inquisitive girl. She'll probably grow into a prominent mathematician or computer programmer, scientist, or investigator. Others praised my costume. It did win second place and came close to winning first at a costume contest at SUUSI in 2001.
Halloween is gone; next is Thanksgiving.
It's that scary time of the year again. So scary that for the first time that I can remember, the head of my work unit let out everyone at 1630 (4:30pm) regardless of their actual work hours, so that people driving home would not have to drive through trick-or-treaters. We had our share of trick or treaters tonight, but it is less than previous years. Perhaps people are being more cautious and taking their children to Halloween parties of having them trick or treat. Here are the amounts per year:
| Year | Trick or Treaters |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 68 |
| 1998 | 84 |
| 1999 | 88 |
| 2001 | 62 |
| 2002 | 49 |
Apparently I lost the file in going from one computer to another; I recovered most of it but I don't have figures for 2000. Here is how in these five years the trick or treaters broke down as far as half-hour period is concerned (I use 24-hour time; for example, 1800 is 6 o'clock):
1730-1800, 0.9%
1800-1830, 27.1%
1830-1900, 24.1%
1900-1930, 20.9%
1930-2000, 17.2%
2000-2030, 9.2%
2030-2100, 0.5%
This shows that most of the trick-or-treaters come between 6pm and 7:30pm. The earliest I have seen one is 1748 (12 to 6 pm), and the latest 2048 (12 to 9 pm). Some come between 7:30pm and 8pm, but then it really drops sharply after that. This enables one to plan for Halloween, what time to come home, how long to leave the pumpkin and candy out and so forth.
I dressed up as a magician with an Aladdin-type costume, with black with blue silk design on it, with a dreamcatcher on a necklace. I put devil-ears on top that I bought at Busch Gardens this past summer just before Imaginique; some child though I bought it at King's Dominion instead. One young lady said I wasn't a devil because I was dressed in blue and black. Devils are dressed in red. This is an observant and inquisitive girl. She'll probably grow into a prominent mathematician or computer programmer, scientist, or investigator. Others praised my costume. It did win second place and came close to winning first at a costume contest at SUUSI in 2001.
Halloween is gone; next is Thanksgiving.
2002/10/30
Some miscellany
Here are some comments I have about words people use. The words very and extreme are used far too frequently. "The revelation is shocking." sounds much stronger than "The revelation is very shocking.", for example. That word shocking carries with it a jolt that gets lost when very is put in front of it. As far as I can see, that is a phrase that can be eliminated. Why don't we ever say "as near as"? It is important to complete applications before the doo-doo date indicated on the form. On the other hand, why not go over the deadline, even though it is a very unique point in time. On the other hand, you can't have something that is "very unique"; unique means there is only one of them, and you can't be oner (pronounced wun-ner) than one. On the original hand, why doesn't anyone say that? Take this quote, which comes from a recent financial article on the web:
The Conference Board's October consumer confidence report -- due a half-hour after the markets open -- is expected to show a significant drop to 90 from 93.3 in September, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. The drop may be attributable to a six-week decline in stocks that ran through September, thus not reflecting the recent three-week runup that has seen the Dow gain nearly 15 percent.
Whaaa?? How can runups see? They don't have eyes. I give speeches at Toastmaster club meetings; I do this because I know these speeches are apotamy. I.e., they are a part of me. All in all in all, I say this is a good blog, and I say very goodnight.
Here are some comments I have about words people use. The words very and extreme are used far too frequently. "The revelation is shocking." sounds much stronger than "The revelation is very shocking.", for example. That word shocking carries with it a jolt that gets lost when very is put in front of it. As far as I can see, that is a phrase that can be eliminated. Why don't we ever say "as near as"? It is important to complete applications before the doo-doo date indicated on the form. On the other hand, why not go over the deadline, even though it is a very unique point in time. On the other hand, you can't have something that is "very unique"; unique means there is only one of them, and you can't be oner (pronounced wun-ner) than one. On the original hand, why doesn't anyone say that? Take this quote, which comes from a recent financial article on the web:
The Conference Board's October consumer confidence report -- due a half-hour after the markets open -- is expected to show a significant drop to 90 from 93.3 in September, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. The drop may be attributable to a six-week decline in stocks that ran through September, thus not reflecting the recent three-week runup that has seen the Dow gain nearly 15 percent.
Whaaa?? How can runups see? They don't have eyes. I give speeches at Toastmaster club meetings; I do this because I know these speeches are apotamy. I.e., they are a part of me. All in all in all, I say this is a good blog, and I say very goodnight.
2002/10/28
Disappointment
I was disappointed to find today that Maryland intends to seek the death penalty for the DC sniper defendants, even to the extent of lifting a moratorium on the death penalty to do it. Maybe Hanover County, Virginia should try him since the victim there was not killed; therefore, no death penalty. But then he could get only one life term, meaning he would be out in the streets in a decade. I still think Maryland should seek six consecutive life terms for all three defendants.
I was disappointed to find today that Maryland intends to seek the death penalty for the DC sniper defendants, even to the extent of lifting a moratorium on the death penalty to do it. Maybe Hanover County, Virginia should try him since the victim there was not killed; therefore, no death penalty. But then he could get only one life term, meaning he would be out in the streets in a decade. I still think Maryland should seek six consecutive life terms for all three defendants.
Bugbearisms
A new virus is out, and it can cause mischief that can result in serious embarrassment or consequences. The virus is Bugbear.
Bugbear is like Klez, a virus that has been going around hitting my computer every one or two days, whereupon my antivirus program traps it, enabling me to get rid of it. Bugbear, however, instead of leaving behind a blank email message, leaves an intact message that was intended to go from someone else to someone else, and not to the user of the computer that gets the virus. So far I have gotten one from a Toastmaster and one from a Unitarian-Universalist, and in each case I called them up to inform them that they have a virus. This virus can do things like take your love letter to Sue and send it to your other girl friend Tricia; it can take a file with some of your private financial data on it and send it to an employee of the IRS; it can do all sorts of trickster things like that, some of which is funny, but most of which is not.
The best way to ensure that this type of embarrassment does not happen is to get an antivirus program, make sure it is always up to date, and have it scan email. I see now from the viruses I have received that computers must absolutely have an antivirus program with up to date virus signatures. You are headed for trouble without one.
A new virus is out, and it can cause mischief that can result in serious embarrassment or consequences. The virus is Bugbear.
Bugbear is like Klez, a virus that has been going around hitting my computer every one or two days, whereupon my antivirus program traps it, enabling me to get rid of it. Bugbear, however, instead of leaving behind a blank email message, leaves an intact message that was intended to go from someone else to someone else, and not to the user of the computer that gets the virus. So far I have gotten one from a Toastmaster and one from a Unitarian-Universalist, and in each case I called them up to inform them that they have a virus. This virus can do things like take your love letter to Sue and send it to your other girl friend Tricia; it can take a file with some of your private financial data on it and send it to an employee of the IRS; it can do all sorts of trickster things like that, some of which is funny, but most of which is not.
The best way to ensure that this type of embarrassment does not happen is to get an antivirus program, make sure it is always up to date, and have it scan email. I see now from the viruses I have received that computers must absolutely have an antivirus program with up to date virus signatures. You are headed for trouble without one.
Try them, Maryland
Yesterday Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore said that Virginia is a better place to try the sniper suspects than Maryland because Virginia has the death penalty and Maryland does not as much, especially for Malvo, who is a juvenile. No, Jerry. Maryland is the better place for that reason. The death penalty is an expensive way to deal with a murderer and it duplicates his crime - killing a person. Many organizations (e.g. Amnesty International) have come out against the death penalty because of its inhumaneness and it is forbidden in many countries in the world, especially developed countries such as Australia and Germany. In fact, the US having the death penalty puts it in the same league with many of the developing nations in the world, including all of the Islamic ones. Kilgore wants the death penalty for a juvenile. That puts it in the same league with only five nations in the world, including Libya, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Yemen. It is a blight on our country for it to have the death penalty and sets us off as a bunch of rurale brutes. Maryland, try these suspects. Give them six consecutive life terms so that they spend the rest of the life in a Maryland prison, so that Virginia never gets to try them. An amendment is needed to abolish the death penalty worldwide.
Yesterday Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore said that Virginia is a better place to try the sniper suspects than Maryland because Virginia has the death penalty and Maryland does not as much, especially for Malvo, who is a juvenile. No, Jerry. Maryland is the better place for that reason. The death penalty is an expensive way to deal with a murderer and it duplicates his crime - killing a person. Many organizations (e.g. Amnesty International) have come out against the death penalty because of its inhumaneness and it is forbidden in many countries in the world, especially developed countries such as Australia and Germany. In fact, the US having the death penalty puts it in the same league with many of the developing nations in the world, including all of the Islamic ones. Kilgore wants the death penalty for a juvenile. That puts it in the same league with only five nations in the world, including Libya, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Yemen. It is a blight on our country for it to have the death penalty and sets us off as a bunch of rurale brutes. Maryland, try these suspects. Give them six consecutive life terms so that they spend the rest of the life in a Maryland prison, so that Virginia never gets to try them. An amendment is needed to abolish the death penalty worldwide.
2002/10/27
Social Level
Abraham Maslov gave five levels of needs that we humans need to fulfill. They are
1. Survival - food, shelter, sleep, bathroom functions, sex
2. Security - freedom from threats
3. Social - Interaction with people, especially favorable interaction
4. Self-esteem - Feeling good about yourself, being recognized for achieving something
5. Self-actualization - Feeling at one with nature, doing what you want to do
As the levels get higher, they get harder to describe. What I have found is that I feel the people that I most like are those that I interact with on the social level - level 3. This is because with level 1, they say, do this or that or you don't get fed (or paid), and with level 2, it is not enough for a person not to present a threat. So I don't get a good impression of these people. At level 3 people interact with others to get to know and like each other, and I find that I get along the most with people that I interact with on this level. With the higher levels, being recognized for a good achievement is good, but not enough; I find something lacking with people whom I interact with on this level. Finally with level 5, it seems that people go off and do their own thing and live up to their own potential. This makes them aloof.
So I prefer to associate with people I associate with at the social level (level 3). Now the people I would like to associate with the most are those whom I can relate to at the self-esteem and self-actualization levels, but these are really rare.
Abraham Maslov gave five levels of needs that we humans need to fulfill. They are
1. Survival - food, shelter, sleep, bathroom functions, sex
2. Security - freedom from threats
3. Social - Interaction with people, especially favorable interaction
4. Self-esteem - Feeling good about yourself, being recognized for achieving something
5. Self-actualization - Feeling at one with nature, doing what you want to do
As the levels get higher, they get harder to describe. What I have found is that I feel the people that I most like are those that I interact with on the social level - level 3. This is because with level 1, they say, do this or that or you don't get fed (or paid), and with level 2, it is not enough for a person not to present a threat. So I don't get a good impression of these people. At level 3 people interact with others to get to know and like each other, and I find that I get along the most with people that I interact with on this level. With the higher levels, being recognized for a good achievement is good, but not enough; I find something lacking with people whom I interact with on this level. Finally with level 5, it seems that people go off and do their own thing and live up to their own potential. This makes them aloof.
So I prefer to associate with people I associate with at the social level (level 3). Now the people I would like to associate with the most are those whom I can relate to at the self-esteem and self-actualization levels, but these are really rare.
2002/10/24
Well it's over now
I see now all over the place that the serial snipers that have been terrorizing the Washington-Richmond area has been captured. This means we can go back to our normal lives. No more huge traffic jams and zillions of police cars all over the place. We can walk to the store and to the gas station, and our kids can safely go to school. But take notice. The snipers did instill fear in us through acts of violence. According to the definition of the term, that is terrorism. Yes, this was a terrorist attack. But not from al-Qaeda. Terrorists don't come just from overseas. They can be individuals from this country stalking in the woods. Last year our President declared a war on terrorism. This means he wanted to destroy what was causing us to fear. So he invaded Afghanistan and scattered the al-Qaeda gang all over the place. Now he wants to invade Iraq. That will stir up enmity to our nation and lead to increased terrorism. Further, he has paid scant attention to the sniper attacks. According to an article in the Washington Post, people feared the sniper more than they feared Planeattack or the anthrax attacks of last year. If Bush is really serious about getting rid of terrorism, he should have paid more attention to the sniper attacks and less to invading a dictator who does not have much to deal with terror in America. Sure, attacking al-Qaeda and capturing the snipers remove some of the terrorists from our society, but to really make headway in reducing terrorism, he also needs to improve our relations with the rest of the world, and he has not done much of that yet. Until he does, I will feel afraid.
I see now all over the place that the serial snipers that have been terrorizing the Washington-Richmond area has been captured. This means we can go back to our normal lives. No more huge traffic jams and zillions of police cars all over the place. We can walk to the store and to the gas station, and our kids can safely go to school. But take notice. The snipers did instill fear in us through acts of violence. According to the definition of the term, that is terrorism. Yes, this was a terrorist attack. But not from al-Qaeda. Terrorists don't come just from overseas. They can be individuals from this country stalking in the woods. Last year our President declared a war on terrorism. This means he wanted to destroy what was causing us to fear. So he invaded Afghanistan and scattered the al-Qaeda gang all over the place. Now he wants to invade Iraq. That will stir up enmity to our nation and lead to increased terrorism. Further, he has paid scant attention to the sniper attacks. According to an article in the Washington Post, people feared the sniper more than they feared Planeattack or the anthrax attacks of last year. If Bush is really serious about getting rid of terrorism, he should have paid more attention to the sniper attacks and less to invading a dictator who does not have much to deal with terror in America. Sure, attacking al-Qaeda and capturing the snipers remove some of the terrorists from our society, but to really make headway in reducing terrorism, he also needs to improve our relations with the rest of the world, and he has not done much of that yet. Until he does, I will feel afraid.
2002/10/23
Junk Sparrows
A little while ago I wrote a poem called "Junk Sparrows". I decided to put that on my website, on a new poetry page that I added to my site. I also pointed that page to my other poem "Where's the Way?" and a short story "The Fountain", that were already on my site. "Junk Sparrows" will be a jolt for many people, especially Americans whose ancestors came from another continent, especially Europe. I have also added another non-word, superennery, meaning (usually of a digit) greater than 9.
A little while ago I wrote a poem called "Junk Sparrows". I decided to put that on my website, on a new poetry page that I added to my site. I also pointed that page to my other poem "Where's the Way?" and a short story "The Fountain", that were already on my site. "Junk Sparrows" will be a jolt for many people, especially Americans whose ancestors came from another continent, especially Europe. I have also added another non-word, superennery, meaning (usually of a digit) greater than 9.
Woodchucking
At the Outer Banks we saw many sandpipers. I have always thought that was a strange name, but then it reminded me of the woodchuck phrase: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? So is it that way with sandpipers? How much sand would a sandpiper pipe if a sandpiper could pipe sand? The image of a sandpiper piping sand is a silly one to me, but I suppose no more than a woodchuck chucking wood. What's that? Stuffing pieces of wood in its cheeks? Chopping the wood with its teeth? I suppose a sandpiper pipes sand through its long beak.
A long time ago I came up with other versions of the woodchucking question. I call this general pastime woodchucking. The woodchucking I came up with earlier was : How many bears would a bare bear bear if a bare bear could bear bears? Well, how many cubs does a bear usually have, anyway? How much bark would a bark bark bark if a bark bark could bark bark? That one is not so good. Bark is an intransitive verb, although I suppose you could imagine a dog, or if you stretch your imagination, a ship, spewing out pine bark mulch when it barks. I decided to look all over the Internet for woodchuckings by searching in Google for "how much * would a * if *", and by trying to find them myself. Here are some of the entries I got:
How many books would a bookmark mark if a bookmark could mark books?
How many flags would a flagpole poll if a flagpole could poll flags?
How much ground would a groundhog hog if a groundhog could hog ground?
How much wind would a windbreaker break if a windbreaker could break wind?
How much web would a weblog blog if a weblog could blog webs? (how much does this web blog?)
How many kings would a kingfisher fish if a kingfisher could fish kings?
How much chain would a chainsaw saw if a chainsaw could saw chain? (Don't try this one. The saw will buck and chop off your hand.)
How much wocky would a jabber wock, if a jabber could wock wocky? (from http://www.planethalflife.com/features/mailbag/mailbag112701b.shtm)
How much trouble would a noble cause if a noble could cause trouble? (from http://www.rpgageoff.com/news/geoffnews.html)
But the winner I feel is this one, which outdoes all the others by a huge margin:
How much C would a C++ if a C+ could +C? (from http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Cottage/4388/geobook.html)
I'd have to go back to my C++ book to check up on that one.
At the Outer Banks we saw many sandpipers. I have always thought that was a strange name, but then it reminded me of the woodchuck phrase: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? So is it that way with sandpipers? How much sand would a sandpiper pipe if a sandpiper could pipe sand? The image of a sandpiper piping sand is a silly one to me, but I suppose no more than a woodchuck chucking wood. What's that? Stuffing pieces of wood in its cheeks? Chopping the wood with its teeth? I suppose a sandpiper pipes sand through its long beak.
A long time ago I came up with other versions of the woodchucking question. I call this general pastime woodchucking. The woodchucking I came up with earlier was : How many bears would a bare bear bear if a bare bear could bear bears? Well, how many cubs does a bear usually have, anyway? How much bark would a bark bark bark if a bark bark could bark bark? That one is not so good. Bark is an intransitive verb, although I suppose you could imagine a dog, or if you stretch your imagination, a ship, spewing out pine bark mulch when it barks. I decided to look all over the Internet for woodchuckings by searching in Google for "how much * would a * if *", and by trying to find them myself. Here are some of the entries I got:
How many books would a bookmark mark if a bookmark could mark books?
How many flags would a flagpole poll if a flagpole could poll flags?
How much ground would a groundhog hog if a groundhog could hog ground?
How much wind would a windbreaker break if a windbreaker could break wind?
How much web would a weblog blog if a weblog could blog webs? (how much does this web blog?)
How many kings would a kingfisher fish if a kingfisher could fish kings?
How much chain would a chainsaw saw if a chainsaw could saw chain? (Don't try this one. The saw will buck and chop off your hand.)
How much wocky would a jabber wock, if a jabber could wock wocky? (from http://www.planethalflife.com/features/mailbag/mailbag112701b.shtm)
How much trouble would a noble cause if a noble could cause trouble? (from http://www.rpgageoff.com/news/geoffnews.html)
But the winner I feel is this one, which outdoes all the others by a huge margin:
How much C would a C++ if a C+ could +C? (from http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Cottage/4388/geobook.html)
I'd have to go back to my C++ book to check up on that one.
2002/10/21
The Outer Banks
This past weekend I made my trip to the Outer Banks. It was a surreal place. For one thing, the thin islands were a linear place. All the places were along essentially a straight place: Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Pea Island, Rodanthe, Avon, and Buxton. Everything is up and down Route 12. For another thing, it was warm. It was like a return to summer, with temperatures, both water and air, in the 70s. I swam a bit in the ocean in October. The vegetation was unlike what I usually see. It was flat, with sea oats and the like. We were part of a birding trip, Wings over Water. Therefore, we saw lots of birds, including hyperactive sanderlings moving back and forth on the surf hunting for food, herons and egrets foraging the water for something to eat, graceful pelicans in the air, and ducks of many varieties, including a hybrid duck. We lucked out on the weather: clear and warm every single day, with rain on the day before and the day after we came back. The beach piles up in huge dunes, including the monster Jockey's Ridge south of Kill Devil Hills, from which come kites and hang gliders. We saw it on a moonlit night, it looked really out of this world, like something from Chesley Bonestell. But it was Earth; we could tell for we saw the vague outline and eyes of a gray fox galloping along the ridge. The food was expensive but good. I would like to come back again, but I don't know if I will get as good weather as we had this past weekend.
This past weekend I made my trip to the Outer Banks. It was a surreal place. For one thing, the thin islands were a linear place. All the places were along essentially a straight place: Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Pea Island, Rodanthe, Avon, and Buxton. Everything is up and down Route 12. For another thing, it was warm. It was like a return to summer, with temperatures, both water and air, in the 70s. I swam a bit in the ocean in October. The vegetation was unlike what I usually see. It was flat, with sea oats and the like. We were part of a birding trip, Wings over Water. Therefore, we saw lots of birds, including hyperactive sanderlings moving back and forth on the surf hunting for food, herons and egrets foraging the water for something to eat, graceful pelicans in the air, and ducks of many varieties, including a hybrid duck. We lucked out on the weather: clear and warm every single day, with rain on the day before and the day after we came back. The beach piles up in huge dunes, including the monster Jockey's Ridge south of Kill Devil Hills, from which come kites and hang gliders. We saw it on a moonlit night, it looked really out of this world, like something from Chesley Bonestell. But it was Earth; we could tell for we saw the vague outline and eyes of a gray fox galloping along the ridge. The food was expensive but good. I would like to come back again, but I don't know if I will get as good weather as we had this past weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)