Beauty is the first test; there is no permanent place in this world for ugly mathematics
The first brewery in America opened in 1642 in Hoboken, New Jersey
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Coldplay
I Went and saw Coldplay at The PNC Arts Center this weekend. Here's a few things that I learned:
- Kingdom Come was written by Chris Martin as a tribute to Johnny Cash, but was not recorded until after Johnny Cash died in 2003.
- The Scientist is more of an amazing song than I thought it was before.
- Hearing them perform Fix You is one of the most amazing concert experiences possible.
Needless to say, we had a great time. I highly recommend seeing these guys if you ever get the opportunity.
Monday, September 05, 2005 05:11 PM EDT0 Comments Filed in: Music -
My Love For Vi
There are certain things in life that I wish I had: a Porsche 911 turbo, a two bedroom brownstone in Hoboken, and a full featured vi text editor. My love for vi started sometime around the Spring semester of 2001, when I was a sophomore in college. The phrase 'Pico makes you dumb!' was constantly thrown at me by my squeaky-voiced unix guru of a professor. Ever since then, I've found myself to be much more productive using the vi keybindings. This wasn't a problem for the rest of college and grad school, as this practice was acceptable and even encouraged by my professors and peers. Then came the real world I am now stuck in, full of WordPad using, vi hating (or vi oblivious,) point and click loving co-workers.
These people wouldn't learn vi if they were paid double time to do it. 'It's so cryptic, how could you ever use that' they say, as I shake my head in disagreement. 'Where's the tabbed interface?' they ask. Now I'm cornered. I start to explain how the editor can handle multiple buffers at the same time, but then I realize that they're right. I would like a tabbed interface. I would like to have multiple vim windows running under OS X (without having some stupid helper application that sits on my Desktop where I drag files to.) I wouldn't mind a file browser with a native view of the file system.
It doesn't seem likely for a application like this to emerge, even with the seemingly endless number of hardcore programmers that would rather die than use a different editor. Maybe some of these programmers don't need or even want the cute bells and whistles I'm hoping for. Or maybe the real world is turning me into a softie. One thing is for sure: If I ever become a WordPad user, then I'm taking up a career in art.
Monday, September 19, 2005 12:25 AM EDT0 Comments Filed in: Software -
Reflections of a Ti
As I wait patiently for my shiny new Beemer to arrive, I thought it necessary to reflect on how truly awesome my '96 318ti was at one time, even if it has been burnt to a crisp and sold off to salvage. The image you see below represents the ti's true heyday, the year that the car was invited to compete at the IASCA World Finals in Greenville, SC. The year was 1999, and the amplifiers in the trunk were polished brighter than the wheels. For some reason I doubt I will ever have a trunk that looks like that again. But who knows.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005 11:38 PM EDT
0 Comments Filed in: Cars -
Back To School This Fall
Going back to school for my Phd in Computer Science has certainly crossed my mind plenty of times. The working world I'm currently immersed in is simply not cutting it for me in terms of mental stimulation. Since a Phd is not likely at this time due to not having a topic I'd like to pursue, and not being in a position to be broke for the next four years, I decided to go back to school to get in touch with my creative side instead. I'm taking a course in Black and White Photography at the School of Visual Arts. So far, it seems like a Phd might have been cheaper and maybe even easier! I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
This picture should give you an idea as to how much stuff I needed to buy just to get started with this course.
If you're wondering what all this stuff could possibly be used for, let me just add that all the film taken for the class will be developed at home. This process begins by popping open the film, cutting it off the roll, and threading it onto a spool. This wouldn't be all that bad, except for the fact that it all must be done inside a lightproof bag (yes, there are holes in the bag for you to stick your arms through,) which means you can't exactly see what you're doing. The film is then developed in the bath tub and hung on the shower curtain to dry. Like I said, I had no idea.
I think the course will prove to be valuable even for a geek programmer like myself. Creativity during coding is very similar to, if not the same thing, as an artist's creativity. I firmly believe that combining the talents of an artist and a coder can offer some fresh perspectives on any programming project.
I'm sure some people, including most of my colleagues, will either disagree with me on this point or tell me that a programmer has no right being creative in the first place. I think most of these people have never been exposed to any kind of artistic activity. Some of the most talented people in Computer Science (people like Paul Graham , author of Hackers and Painters comes to mind,) have studied some form of artistic expression in the past. Whatever stance you take on this, I'm sure you'll agree with me on one thing: This old school Nikon FM2 film camera is HOT!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 12:24 AM EDT