This is going to be a whine session, so someone better bring some crackers and cheese.
Earlier, this month one of the private torrent trackers that I get stuff from banned the use of uTorrent 2 on their tracker. (Basically, it favors other people using uTorrent 2; therefore it was unfair to those who used other clients.) In fact, every torrent client I like is on the banned list.
Now, I realize that no matter how you dice it, sharing torrents is stealing, unless you are sharing your own material. I have mixed feeling about the torrent sites. The reason I fluent the torrent sites is that I am hunting for out-of-print books, and I do not currently have a DVR (my VCR setup is pretty bad because I am using a digitual converter box and do not have cable). Basically, I can only tape what I am currently watching; therefore I would have to pick between House and Chuck. And we all know that the books I am after will never be reprinted (there is no market for them---there are only about a dozen of us interested in them).
Nevertheless, I know that I am doing wrong by downloading torrents. On the same grounds, DVRs, VCRs, and photocopy machines are also instruments of evil.
I did briefly try kTorrent: just long enourgh to realize that it was not really user-friendly (how the heck do you get it to download a torrent to an external hard-drive?). I do have one torrent client on my computer that I can use, but it it not great if you need to restart seeds after restarting your computer (bittornado). And I have a lot of files to seed.
I have came to the conclusion that this torrent site is out to annoy me. Heck, one of the clients they suggest, you have to compile yourself. Hmmm...my computer programming days are long past; I prefer my programs to come in prepackaged form.
Anyway, that is my complaint of the day---I can no longer use my favorite torrent client.
Now, give me that cheese and crackers.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Doctor Who: End of Time back to back espisodes
Well, last night I finally got around to watching both parts of the Doctor Who Christmas/New Year special: The End of Time. Back to back, that is. I had watched the second part of The End of Time in January, but was not impressed as much by the second part as I was by the first part.
I will admit that I was wrong. Both parts are equally good. I just failed to take in account the fact that the first part ended on such a high note.
Quite simply, I loved the entire world, every living person in it, turning into the Master (played ably by John Simms). On some level, I found that the second espisode lacking because it did not start on that high note. Watching the espisodes back to back eliminated that big letdown.
My advice to anyone watching The End of Time: watch the espisodes back to back.
(I would also like to point out from a fandom viewpoint, The End of Time opens up a lot of possibilities for fan created fiction. Some of the possibilities I plan on exploring myself in the coming months.)
I will admit that I was wrong. Both parts are equally good. I just failed to take in account the fact that the first part ended on such a high note.
Quite simply, I loved the entire world, every living person in it, turning into the Master (played ably by John Simms). On some level, I found that the second espisode lacking because it did not start on that high note. Watching the espisodes back to back eliminated that big letdown.
My advice to anyone watching The End of Time: watch the espisodes back to back.
(I would also like to point out from a fandom viewpoint, The End of Time opens up a lot of possibilities for fan created fiction. Some of the possibilities I plan on exploring myself in the coming months.)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Doctor Who: End of Time Part 1
I watched the first part of the Doctor Who special End of Time last night. I will not spoil it for anyone, but I must admit that their solution was much better than mine. Those who have watched the espisode already will understand what I am talking about. I may still write up my solution, just because I think that my solution would have been interesting to play around with.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Only 3026 words so far, many more to go
Well, I have only done 3,026 words so far for NaNoWriMo. I should be almost at twelve thousand words (11,669 to be exact) at the end of the day if I was on schedule. Basically I have written six nights for a little while each day, and have only accomplished like two days worth (a touch short actually from even that short goal of 3,334 words).
It is enourgh to drive home the point that I might not even be capable of being a hack. But then again, I had homework, newspaper articles and finished off reading Dracula. I might not be a great writer, but even on a busy week I hacked out three thousand words. I guess that is something to smile about.
In the old days, we used to travel by couch and buggy, or maybe horse and buggy, horses, boat, or just on foot. There are some that believe that we used to (and still do) travel by fairy circle, stone hedges and by flying around on broomsticks. The latter has always puzzled me. Why would anyone trust their existence to a slender piece of wood with straw tied to the end? I do not care how strong of a candle you light, the rarity of the feathers that you tie onto it, or the awesome power of your charms; it is still just a stick being held up by the power of positive thinking. I will stick with mechanical means of travel, thank you no. Then again, given the security line and the reliability of pilots nowadays, going to a broom closet and selecting your own means of travel might be preferable if it wasn’t for the exhaustion that making a broom fly would result in.
It is enourgh to drive home the point that I might not even be capable of being a hack. But then again, I had homework, newspaper articles and finished off reading Dracula. I might not be a great writer, but even on a busy week I hacked out three thousand words. I guess that is something to smile about.
In the old days, we used to travel by couch and buggy, or maybe horse and buggy, horses, boat, or just on foot. There are some that believe that we used to (and still do) travel by fairy circle, stone hedges and by flying around on broomsticks. The latter has always puzzled me. Why would anyone trust their existence to a slender piece of wood with straw tied to the end? I do not care how strong of a candle you light, the rarity of the feathers that you tie onto it, or the awesome power of your charms; it is still just a stick being held up by the power of positive thinking. I will stick with mechanical means of travel, thank you no. Then again, given the security line and the reliability of pilots nowadays, going to a broom closet and selecting your own means of travel might be preferable if it wasn’t for the exhaustion that making a broom fly would result in.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Snow Days 2009
The last couple of days, I have been snowed in. Oh, I could have gotten someplace if I really wanted to, but I am finding that as I grown older that the urge to brave the weather lessens every year.
I have discovered that you can tell a lot by how someone spends a snow day. In my case, I napped a lot. My wife, Toni, spent the day napping also (she thought she was coming down with some bug).
I could have spent it working, but my heart was not into it. The same goes for homework. I am still having days when I hear my sister's opinion of my entire life in my head (basically, she thinks that I am doing everything wrong and generally wasting my time while leeching off of others).
It is for that fact that I really do not feel guilty about not accomplishing anything on these snow days; after all, I am not expected to. There is also the little fact that I am doing National Novel Writing Month starting on November 1st. I figure that considering that I am going to be attempting to write 50,000 words in thirty days, plus do everything else that I need to do in November, that a couple of naps while being snowed in are not the end of the world. In fact, I might actually earn them next month.
Early warning---most of my posts that I do in November are going to read: Day X of NaNoWriMo, Y words done, Z words to go.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Goofy summary of Isaish 1:10-20
Goofy summary of Isaiah 1.10-20 that was done for the Adopt a Prophet and create a facebook page for them project (for the Bible as Literature class):
(MDE: I actually made a mistake here; it was actually the Chiefs of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah being addressed here. But someplace in my mind, these two people belong to Israel.)
God to Israel: Why do I need your numerous sacrifices?
Israel to God: Have another ox!
God to Israel: It is the incense of abomination to me!
Israel to God: Have another meal offering!
God to Israel: I am FULL!
Israel to God: New moon! Time for another ox!
God to Israel: Another empty sacrifice. Why can’t you just live ethically? And quit sending me Happy Meals!
Silly summary of Isaiah 6:1-9
Silly summary of Isaiah 6.1-9, another bit from the Adopt a Prophet and make a facebook page for them assignment for Biblical Literature class.
Death: King Uzziah is dead.
God: I am sitting in my throne room.
Seraphim: We are also in the throne room.
Isaiah: Sorry, I did not know anyone was in here.
Seraphim: Holy, holy, holy is HaShem, Master of Legions; the whole world is filled with his glory.
Isaiah: Woe is me, for I am doomed: for I am a man of impure lips and I dwell among a people with impure lips, for my eyes have seen the King, HaShem, Master of Legions.”
Seraphim: Behold, this coal has touched your lips; your iniquity has gone away and your sin shall be atoned for.
God: Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?
Isaiah: Here I am! Send me!
God: Good, a volunteer.
Seraphim: It is a good thing that he volunteered; we are all out of burning bushes.
God: Say to the people---
Isaiah: What people?
God: ---Surely, you hear, but you do not comprehend; and surely you see, but you fail to understand.
Isaiah: Oh! Those people!
God: This people is fattening its heart, hardening its ears, and sealing its eyes, lest it see with its eyes, hear with its ears, and understand with its heart, so that it will repent and be healed.
Obama: We need to reform health care and education.
God: Who are you?
Obama: I am the chosen instrument of change.
Isaiah: I thought I was.
God: You are.
Isaiah: Who is?
Obama: Who is?
Seraphim: There should be a law against parodies like this.
Death: King Uzziah is dead.
God: I am sitting in my throne room.
Seraphim: We are also in the throne room.
Isaiah: Sorry, I did not know anyone was in here.
Seraphim: Holy, holy, holy is HaShem, Master of Legions; the whole world is filled with his glory.
Isaiah: Woe is me, for I am doomed: for I am a man of impure lips and I dwell among a people with impure lips, for my eyes have seen the King, HaShem, Master of Legions.”
Seraphim: Behold, this coal has touched your lips; your iniquity has gone away and your sin shall be atoned for.
God: Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?
Isaiah: Here I am! Send me!
God: Good, a volunteer.
Seraphim: It is a good thing that he volunteered; we are all out of burning bushes.
God: Say to the people---
Isaiah: What people?
God: ---Surely, you hear, but you do not comprehend; and surely you see, but you fail to understand.
Isaiah: Oh! Those people!
God: This people is fattening its heart, hardening its ears, and sealing its eyes, lest it see with its eyes, hear with its ears, and understand with its heart, so that it will repent and be healed.
Obama: We need to reform health care and education.
God: Who are you?
Obama: I am the chosen instrument of change.
Isaiah: I thought I was.
God: You are.
Isaiah: Who is?
Obama: Who is?
Seraphim: There should be a law against parodies like this.
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