Random iPod things
I guess it’s one of those days where it’s snowing upside down.
LOL LONGEST WALK EVER I’MMA GO EAT A CAKE!
(This is what happens when I just barely start my walk to the bus and my iPod battery bites it ‘cause I hadn’t charged it in forever.)
Yes, I took that picture on the 26th, not on the day I’m talking about it in my blog. Deal with it.
Anyway.
Matt, these shoes reminded me of you, so I thought I should bring them to your attention.
That’s all for today.
No, Cloud, NO!
Dammit iTunes, stop screwing with my music! I have a delicate balance of lists and playlists and playcounts and I do not appreciate your “here’s a bunch of stuff you downloaded but deleted but here it is again in case you really weren’t serious about deleting it” crap that version 11.0 introduces. Now my master and 2012 playlists are all screwed up. It’s a good thing I keep backup lists of everything.
[rant complete]
Vaio III is here!
He’s 750 GB. He’s got a back-lit keyboard. He’s compact and cool.
WOO!
I’mma go set him up.
I’m mourning
Bad news, all.
Vaio II is no more.
His hard drive had a serious mental breakdown, so I took him in to see if someone could fix him up. Nope.
Thank god for external hard drives, eh?
Big Compy’s still up and running, so I’m not totally helpless and curled up crying on the floor due to lack of internet.
But I’m sad. Vaio II was family.
Edit: His successor, Vaio III, has been purchased. He looks like this.
I…
Just taught myself how to write macros in Excel. A lot of them. In like two hours. It was fantastic.
I basically figured out how to do what I was trying to do in R in Excel. It’s actually a lot easier to implement in Excel, especially since (I totally just learned this, pardon my beginner’s excitement) you can create a hyperlink in a cell that links to another cell within the same spreadsheet. Totally had no idea you could do that.
But now I can do stuff in Visual Basic. Woot.
Okay, that’s all.
Pretty Fly for a WiFi
Hey guys! Want to see a pretty?
I have GIMP, a free Photoshop-esque program, installed on Big Compy. One of the things GIMP can do is make a customizable fractal out of a picture.
I thought this one of my most recent drawing was pretty awesome.
Old Vaio is Old
My stuff came this morning, yay!
First thing I did involved digging out the monitor to Big Compy and hooking it to Old Vaio (the one with the busted screen). Laughed at all the old crap from high school senior year and all my undergraduate silliness.
Examples!
Haha, I’d totally forgotten about the time I recreated Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” using flour, water, and food coloring.
Spinning pineapple drawn and animated in Flash! I had this titled thereisaseasonturnturnturn.gif. (EDIT: apparently you have to click on stationary pineapple to get it its own page. It’ll spin there.) (EDIT 2: apparently it depends on your browser)
A bunch of my silly high school friends and me at a bowling party. Poor Aneel.
An experiment with eyeliner and some eyeshadow back when I actually had eyeliner. I might still have some, but who knows where it is.
Also, of the 50 songs I currently have rated 5 stars, 22 of them were rated 5 stars back in the era of Old Vaio.
That is all.
What is blogging?
I was living in the dank, dull doldrums of Vancouver when Watson debuted on Jeopardy! back in February of this year. However, tonight I was able to catch an old repeat show from when the IBM computer competed against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.
All I have to say is this: how freaking insane is it that we have the technology to create AI computers that are able to not only compete but beat humans in a real time trivia situation? Some philosophers like John Searle argue that Watson can’t really “think,” but how much longer until computers become so sophisticated that the line between computation and thought becomes totally blurred?
Crazy times, 2011, crazy times.
This is what happens when technology-addicted people lose power
So for no other reason than the fact that my life in Vancouver is cursed, I lost power to all the outlets in my living room.
Solution?
We (my mom and I) went out and bought a super-long extension cord, hooked it into the single working outlet in the main room, and from it constructed a fun tangle of extreme fire-hazard proportions.
And we bought a router, so now everything that is able to access the internet is ABLE to access the internet.
Fun times.
Rome was actually built in a day and a half.
When I’m not carrying anything and feel like I could run five miles, I get to the bus stop just as the bus is pulling in.
When I have 50 pounds combined of backpack and groceries and it’s windy and cold, I miss the bus by about 30 seconds.
SUCH IS LIFE.
Anyway.
One gripe I’ve had with my iPod Touch is the fact that, unlike the Nano, it doesn’t have a pedometer. I love Nano’s pedometer ‘cause I’m that type of obsessive person who likes to track progress and estimate changes in my daily patterns and just generally be a number watching weirdo.
But today I found probably the coolest “you’re obsessive so you’ll love this” app: iTreadmill. I will utilize this tomorrow on my walk to whatever the hell mall I decide to go to, but I calibrated it this afternoon and can already tell it’s awesome.
It tracks:
- Steps
- Steps per minute
- Time
- Average pace
- Average speed
- Calories
- Distance
It keeps track of your history and gives you graphs! You can create a playlist to listen to as you go (I just put my whole “Favorites” playlist to play), you can enter your weight to get an accurate calories estimate, and you can set step, calories, distance, or time goals and set alarms to sound for certain milestones to your goals if you like that kind of stuff (I do). It also pauses automatically after 5 seconds of inactivity so waiting at stoplights and such won’t lessen your average speed.
HOW COOL IS THAT?
Download it, dudes.
Also, they should just make this a static claim on CTV weather for Vancouver:
Earlier today when they still had Saturday’s prediction up they actually had words (“light rain,” “rain,” “more rain” (seriously), “rain and snow”), but I guess they ran out of synonyms.
SUCH IS LIFE.
App-tacular
Okay, I promise I’m not an Apple whore, but I absolutely love this app.
It’s called Measures and it contains conversions to so many freaking units for so many different applications. The following measurement categories are included: length, area, weight, volume, temperature, time, fuel consumption, data storage, speed, currencies, acceleration, pressure, energy, power, force, torque, angle, charge, density, luminance, SI prefixes, flow, radioactivity, magnetic flux, magnetic flux density, clothes sizes and shoe sizes.
Seriously.
And like I said, SO MANY UNITS. For example, I now know that I am 0.86805556 fathoms tall, weigh 29,166.67 pennyweights, am 8,021,280 moments old, and wear a size 35 shoe in Brazil.
It’s also super easy to use. Here’s a review of it.
I don’t know how many of you have Touches/iPhones, but I recommend this not only because it’s useful, but because it’s ridiculously entertaining.
99 cents, people. Get it.
Today’s song: Better by Regina Spektor
This Week’s Science Blog: What’s Better Than Robots?
Robots with croissants!!
The music makes it. Croissants are serious business.
Here’s some more footage/info on these types of robots:
The waterproof aspect is a good idea, too.
Anyway. I just thought these were cool.
Today’s song: I Like to Move It (Radio Mix) by Reel 2 Real
NaNoWriMo: T-minus 30 days
WOO!
The only good thing about October is that there are only 31 (30 now) days left until NaNo starts. Seriously. Every October for like the past three years has blown heavy metal chunks for me. Screw you, October.
I don’t have a definite plot in place. Actually, I do. I have like five definite plots in place. I just have to choose which one to implement. I’m leaning strongly towards the road trip/religious undertones one, but I might genre ditch and go for a more sci-fi story, just to annoy myself and try to work within a genre of which I’m not a big fan.
Who knows? I didn’t know where I was going with things last year, but I finally got an idea on paper that I’d had in my head for awhile.
Anyway.
Today was probably the last sunny day of the year up here, so I took the opportunity to test out the accuracy of the pedometer feature on the new Nano by comparing it to a regular old pedometer.
Not too big of a discrepancy, considering I spent like an hour of those three hours wandering around in Safeway. I think the Nano is more sensitive to “wandering” steps (as opposed to the more deliberate “get out of my way, I’m faster than you” steps) than the pedometer, hence the difference. I’d also trust the Nano’s calorie counter thingy more, since you can actually set your weight, something you can’t do on the pedometer.
And yes, it took me three hours to go ~11,000 steps. Like I said, Safeway, plus the whole “maybe I’ll stop and wait for the bus, ‘cause I have no damn idea where I am” ordeal when I couldn’t find the store I was looking for.
OH YEAH, and this:
I found this movie via Netflix and was going to watch it in its entirety tonight, but this song from the opening sequence totally ruined that, ‘cause I had to go find it, download it, and listen to it on repeat for about three hours. Apparently the movie is like Inception, but better.
Today’s song: Mediational Field by Susumu Hirasawa
The Four Corporations of the Apocalypse
I’m amazed by large corporations. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because the larger companies get, the more fiercely they seem to push for their right to be the largest company, especially when they have to muscle out some other company for top spot. I find it amusing, interesting, and frightening all at the same time.
Due to the insane technological advances we’ve been making in the past decade, along with help from the glorious, glorious internet, we’ve been able to witness the birth of mega corporations that are able to grow to tremendous sizes and pretty much envelop everything they touch. And when they decide to merge, we’re all in trouble.
Oh come on, you know which ones I mean…
Microsoft (area of dominance: computing)
Not only does Microsoft (in my opinion, at least) pretty much own the computing sector with their PCs, they’ve also got quite a monopoly on software (Microsoft Office, anyone?), plus Internet Explorer, Zune, Windows Media, Windows Live (including Hotmail and Messenger), and the Xbox 360.
It’s probably the weakest of the four corporate giants as I see them, but it’s still got a pretty strong hold on things when you think about it. Hell, I typed this out in Microsoft Word and uploaded it in IE*. I guess the reason it seems weak is because it’s not expanding at the rate of the other corporations I’ve listed.
Speaking of expansion…
Apple (area of dominance: portable media)
Remember that time where Apple only made those dorky computers? Haha, yeah. Nostalgia. Now there are IPHONES EVERYWHERE. Perhaps you read my blog about my adventure in the Apple store. If not, go read it, slacker! here’s the summary: people are psycho for Apple products. The company is rapidly gaining ground in the portable media sector.
– Music.
– Phones.
– Phones that also play music.
– Wi-Fi access in small electronics.
– Wi-Fi access in small electronics that also act as phones and play music
– Whatever the hell the iPad is.
– But wait! A newer version of the Wi-Fi/phone/music thing!
You get the idea.
Apple has pretty much taken over the “check out this electronic doohickey I’m carrying!” area, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing up. Pair this with the grip it’s got on the music sales industry via iTunes and you’re looking at one powerful company.
Facebook (area of dominance: personal information)
The king of personal information, Facebook as it stands right now is quite frightening. It’s not Big Brother we have to worry about, but each other, now that we’re able to pretty much list everything down to our genetic code on a social networking site. The worst part about it is how addicting it is. I’m not ashamed (though I probably should be) that I went through a freaky little withdrawal stage when I shut down my Facebook account for a few months back in May (April? Whenever), and was pretty much fully hooked on it again when I came back. Despite all the privacy issues Facebook’s having right now, I don’t think the number of people using the site will decrease by any significant amount anytime soon, thus leaving those of us in Facebook Land a good population in which to search and stalk.
Google (area of dominance: general information)
Last but certainly not least is Google. Google is terrifying.
Google will own the world in approximately seven more years.
In a decade, “Googling” will no longer just be a word for “searching via google.com” but will be a euphemism for all sorts of other things (possibly dirty things). In twenty years, we’ll have street views of Alpha Centauri.
Can you tell this company frightens me?
I guess if you name your company after something as big as a googol, you’re pretty much destined to be of the mindset to want to expand as much as possible. Their getting their hands on YouTube was the final “oh crap!” moment for me, now I’m just waiting for the blue, red, yellow and green takeover. Or should I say takeooooooooooooover.
Paranoia? Perhaps. But I’m waiting for the day Google decides to merge with Apple, they conquer Facebook, and Microsoft decides to join in just because. Then we’re screwed.
*Anyone who gives me browser choice crap is invited to come over and count the number of times Firefox crashes when I use it. That browser and I don’t get along, I like IE best, shut the hell up.
Today’s song: Protection (Sirius Mo Radio Edit) by Ben Mono
Oh, iTunes. iTunes, iTunes, iTunes…
Welcome to another installation of “companies that randomly change their logos and make themselves look dumb.” Today our guest will be Apple—specifically, iTunes.
For whatever the hell reason, Apple decided to entirely re-do their iTunes feel, as well as the logo.
Clicky clicky to enlarge.
Now there’s practically NO color so the whole thing looks like an inactive window (you know, when you have a window open but you’re using a different one, and the colors in the inactive one are dulled in most color schemes). And then there’s Ping, which…well, I’m still not entirely sure what its purpose is.
Then there’s this:
I suppose the CD is that out-of-date now, but still. The blue notes on CD thing was a very signature logo. To go from that to something that has very little similarities to past designs seems…odd. But I suppose “hey, let’s change things up for no reason!” is the style nowadays. Sorry, but this kind of stuff really bugs me.
I really don’t understand it, but what’re you gonna do, eh?
Today’s song: Tiny Face by Tipper
Claudia: supplying your daily dose of blogs since 2006 (at MySpace’s whim, of course)
WOO I got a new shiny!
Ignore my dumb expressions.
Leibniz is my background, of course. He’s my main man.
I’ve a Canadian plan, so I advise you all not to call me even when I’m in the States (assuming I’ll be back at some point). Either way, here’s my number just in case: 1-778-223-1345 (edit: now defunct)
I’m also fairly ashamed to admit I got a texting plan, mainly because it’s cheap and because I’m tired of people texting me, me telling them I’m unable to receive texts without getting charged exorbitant amounts, then going on to explain the reason why I don’t have a texting plan (because I think it’s dumb).
So there.
Just remember: Canada plan, no U.S. partying allowed.
Today’s song: Hey, Soul Sister by Train
Did LittleDog scare you?
Meet his brother, BigDog. You may have already seen him ‘cause he’s been around longer (I think), but regardless:
Yeah, this totally isn’t creepy at all.
Both the stabilization after the guy kicks it and the way it catches itself from biting it on the ice patch literally gave me chills. Still, though…awesome. There’s another video of it with a giant sensor thingy on its head that enables it to follow a human and move without an operator.
The future is here, and it’s got really creepy legs.
Oh, and I’m leaving for Boston in like two hours, so blogs may not happen for a few days.
Today’s song: De Internationale by De Stem des Volks
“Robodog! Walk!”
So I read this article today entitled “LittleDog Learns Several Terrifying New Tricks,” which included a video. LittleDog is apparently like the latest thing in stable mobility for robotics. The article contained several hints that the LittleDog bot gave the author the creeps (plus a few nightmares). Reading the comments, a lot of others were pretty terrified of it, too. I started watching the video and wasn’t creeped out at all. In fact, I thought the little dude was quite cute, not to mention damn impressive.
It doesn’t get creepy until about, oh, 1:12, when he starts HOPPING UP THE STAIRS LIKE A MINIATURE POODLE.
A HEADLESS ONE.
WITH A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF UPPER BODY STRENGTH.
Somebody needs to make a .gif of it just popping up that first step. That would be great.
Regardless, it’s still pretty freaking incredible.
Oh, and here’s the article. It’s pretty funny. Haha, I was so obsessed with robots when I was in elementary school, too. Maybe that’s why this made me very happy.
Today’s song: Gone Gone Gone by The New Deal
Hello, World!
So, as per the custom, I made my first code to print “Hello, world!” in Python. Because all of a sudden, for whatever reason, I want to learn how to code (in something other than R, haha).
Also, I think I’m going to write a sort of “R for People Who Don’t Know R” guide. Because I’ve noticed that the majority of R guides are either 400 pages long, are written for people who already know the basics, or are really specific. So I figured I’ll write a guide specifically for people who are just learning R—like, people who just installed it and don’t know how to yet import data—because there are a lot of people in the psych department who want to learn R but feel like the guides aren’t really appropriate for true beginners.
Which is kinda true.
So yeah.
Claudia vs. Spyware: The Epic Battle
So today sucked. Well, it sucked until about 7 PM, when I finally solved the problem that was causing things to suck.
I got to school this morning and discovered an issue with my computer when I started it up—every time I moused over the taskbar, my mouse would to the little “busy” symbol and I couldn’t click on anything. When I’d ctrl+alt+delete, the taskbar manager would produce the busy sign as well, so I really couldn’t do anything.
Which was obnoxious as hell.
So I literally spent from 2 to 6:30 this afternoon trying to figure out what was wrong. I realized sometime around 3 that things started freezing up (busying up?) when a certain icon loaded onto the taskbar, but since I couldn’t mouse over it, I had no idea what the little icon was.
After another “let’s adventure around in Safe Mode” hour, I finally was able to figure out that the symbol stood for something called “Relevant Knowledge.” And, after looking it up on Google, I find out that it’s…surprise!…spyware, and that, with Vista, it pretty much shuts down your ability to do anything.
Fast forward to two hours later, and I have finally gotten rid of all the crap R.K. has put on my compy, and, after the 100th restart of the day, Vaio II is back to normal.
Anyway.
If you ever see Relevant Knowledge anywhere, get rid of it ASAP.
Y’all remember Clippy?
He needs to happen again for the sheer sake of nostalgia and annoyance at Microsoft Word.
Also: him in Flash.
Sorry, random day.
ALSO: happy birthday, Matt!
My new best friend
Vaio II has arrived.
And Vaio II looks GREAT. He’s so quiet! He can run on battery! He has FREE HARD DRIVE SPACE!!
Yay.
Vaio on life support!
So…uh…
Vaio’s screen kinda bit it. I was sitting there listening to music and moved the screen to adjust its tilt, and it instantly cracked and spider-webbed from the point of contact. So I now can see nothing but this beautiful spider web pattern on the main screen, and have an external Dell (ewww!) monitor hooked up so I can actually use it.
So yeah. Vaio’s on monitor dialysis. Other than that (and its lack of hard drive space and 400 db fan), it works fine still. But I guess I can’t really use it as a laptop if I have to hook it to an external monitor (even though it was already tethered via power supply and internet).
Man, Sony makes some durable computers.
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