GalacticSlacker HQ havoc@harrisdev.com RSS feed from GalacticSlacker HQ http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5 en RE-RSS spewer new server http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1368#1368 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1368#1368 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:47:38 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ house keeping http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1367#1367 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1367#1367 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:08:06 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ [quote] Freedom of Choice and Quantum Uncertainty are not related http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1365#1365 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1365#1365 - Mortimer J. Alder, Ten Philosophical Mistakes ]]> Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:38:06 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ [quote] The mind and the brain, Mortimer Adler http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1364#1364 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1364#1364
- Mortimer J. Adler, Ten Philosophical Mistakes ]]> Sat, 29 May 2010 12:40:27 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1363#1363 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1363#1363 Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know, by Wayne Grudem while on the road. (Also available for the Kindle.) I haven't ever found the table of contents in text form, so I'm posting it here for future reference.

Table of Contents:
  1. What Is the Bible?

  2. What Is God Like?

  3. What Is the Trinity?

  4. What Is Creation?

  5. What Is Prayer?

  6. What Are Angles, Satan, and Demons?

  7. What Is Man?

  8. What Is Sin?

  9. Who Is Christ?

  10. What Is the Atonement?

  11. What Is the Resurrection?

  12. What Is Election?

  13. What Does It Mean to Become a Christian?

  14. What Are Justification and Adoption?

  15. What Are Sanctification and Perseverance?

  16. What Is Death?

  17. What Is the Church?

  18. What Will Happen When Christ Returns?

  19. What Is the Final Judgement?

  20. What Is Heaven?


I'm using this book for a Discipleship study. One of my old preachers used to tell us, "Do the basics well." ]]> Sun, 16 May 2010 15:44:10 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Spring http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1362#1362 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1362#1362

West of Dexter, NM, on NM Highway 2. ]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 09:42:49 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ RE: iPad surprisingly poor usability results http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1361#1361 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1361#1361

by JoshuaJayG [ posted: 10.May.2010 05:21 PM ]
I like apple products, I mean, I own a MacBook. I like my MacBook and I like my iPod touch, however, there are somethings I would not buy. I would not buy an iPad or an iPhone. For a phone, I would get an HTC or other similar smart phone. Apple locks down their products to their software more than most other companies. But then again, I am sure you know that. I was surprised by their customer support (to an extent) when I needed repair on my MacBook as they replaced my screen for free when it got scratched. I am not, however, impressed by having to supply an upfront cost for technical support. Dumb idea. Apple makes a lot of money by restricting their platforms to their software, but it isn't for me. I can load Windows (and maybe Linux) on my mac, but I can't put anything on my iPhone that isn't apple without causing big problems. Have fun, Steve Jobs.

Joshua
]]> Mon, 10 May 2010 18:07:00 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Apple's Success http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1360#1360 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1360#1360
Joshua ]]> Mon, 10 May 2010 17:21:30 MST JoshuaJayG peanut gallery iPad surprisingly poor usability results http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1359#1359 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1359#1359
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for May 10 is now online at:
> http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad.html

Summary:
iPad apps are inconsistent and have low feature discoverability, with
frequent user errors due to accidental gestures. An overly strong print
metaphor and weird interaction styles cause further usability problems.


There are several things here to comment on:
1) It's surprising to see Apple "fail." (And by "fail," I mean, "fail to achieve the very high level of usability we all expect from Apple.")
2) It's a new, blended paradigm, and Apple is breaking new(ish) ground.
3) This will be fixed (or mostly fixed) long before the second generation of iPad tablets is released.

I am not a big fan of the way Apple treats their customers, but I do admire their dedication to usability. ]]> Mon, 10 May 2010 07:21:49 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ 2010 reading update http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1358#1358 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1358#1358
Jesus Loves the Little Children: Why We Baptize Children, Daniel R. Hyde
The Car, Gary Paulsen
Aeschylus, Plays by:
* The Suppliant Maidens
* The Persians
* The Seven Against Thebes
* Prometheus Bound
* Agamemnon
* Cheophoroe
* Eumenides
Sophocles, Plays by
* Oedipus the King
* Oedipus at Colonus
* Antigone
* Ajax (Ajas)
* Electra
* Trachiniae
* Philoctetes
Problem of Pain, CS Lewis (Audiobook)
Abolition of Man, CS Lewis (Audiobook)
Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens (Audiobook - Librivox.org)
Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence (Audiobook - Librivox.org)
Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton (Audiobook - Librivox.org) ]]> Sat, 01 May 2010 15:50:15 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ An ACORN by any other name.... http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1357#1357 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1357#1357
Which makes me think, "An ACORN by any other name is still institutionalized corruption."

PECAN, WALNUT, PEANUT.... whatever. ACORN will be back, just under a different name. If you think those people are just going away, you're quite the fool. ]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:22:26 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ weeping http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1356#1356 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1356#1356 -- CNN Breaking News ]]> Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:01:53 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Funny things Steve Jobs says http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1355#1355 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1355#1355 “We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business,” Mr. Jobs told Apple employees during an all-hands meeting shortly after the public introduction of the iPad in January, according to two employees who were there and heard the presentation. “Make no mistake: Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them.”

Uh, Steve, Apple does not now, nor has it ever owned some special place in the cellphone market. I do not recall Motorola or Nokia (or anyone else) pitching a hissy fit when Apple entered their core business.

And, more importantly, Google doesn't really care about Apple in the overall picture. Apple is small fries. Microsoft appears to be the target of Google's unabated march. I don't hear Steve Balmer screaming about Android encroaching on Windows Mobile territory. ]]> Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:30:26 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ New Toy from Google! Google Public Data Explorer http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1354#1354 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1354#1354 Google Public Data Explorer. I hope they can feed it all kinds of interesting data quickly.

Fun, fun! ]]> Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:33:40 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ [quote] Herodotus on the Persians http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1353#1353 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1353#1353
It is also [the Persians'] general practice to deliberate upon affairs of weight when they are drunk; and then on the morrow, when they are sober, the decision to which they came the night before is put before them by the master of the house in which it was made; and if it is then approved of, they act on it; if not, they set it aside. Sometimes, however, they are sober at their first deliberation, but in this case they always reconsider the matter under the influence of wine.

- Herodotus, History ]]> Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:08:46 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Doh! AT&T iPhone's an Android! http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1352#1352 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1352#1352 Android On Lockdown: AT&T Removes Best Parts of Android from Backflip.

Well folks, if you haven't heard by now, AT&T's first Android Handset, the Motorola Backflip, has been locked down and crippled. In doing this, AT&T has not only removed Google search, but disabled Android's ability to install non-market apk files outside of the official Android Market by removing the option for BACKFLIP users to install applications from unknown sources.

Why this was done is unknown, but users will no longer be able to install apps purchased on alternative markets. For developers that utilize the BACKFLIP, this will will also prove troublesome as they will be unable to test apps on the device. The app experience has truly been IPhonified. Quite frankly, I am disappointed, but not really surprised as AT&T has attempted to control phones and apps within their realm for quite some time.

We know that AT&T is trying very hard to be a gatekeeper. We also know they are not a fan of open standards. What are your thoughts? Would you buy this phone? How far do you think this will this go? Did Apple have a role in this? I know what I think and that is that you should not purchase this phone. Sorry.


The never-ending supply of human (and institutional) stupidity never ceases to astound me.

I'm setting here wondering if:
  • Apple encouraged/pushed/forced/strong-armed AT&T into this

  • AT&T just decided that Apple's lock-in/lock-down business model is superior

  • AT&T is doing this as a peace offering to Apple to maintain their exclusive on the iPhone

  • AT&T is doing this intentionally to poison the Android appeal so that they can claim they are supporting Android, but making it much less appealing than the iPhone

  • something else completely.
]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:32:22 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ It's not time to panic, yet (some interesting charts) http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1351#1351 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1351#1351
I will endeavor. The world must be saved (from it's inmates)!

Chartsbin.com - Energy: http://goo.gl/umAe
Chartsbin.com - Historical Oil Production by Region, 1965 to Present: http://goo.gl/gxxU
Chartsbin.com - Historical World Reserves-to-production ratio of Oil, 1980 to Present: http://goo.gl/qlAy
Chartsbin.com - Historical Oil Consumption by Region, 1965 to Present: http://goo.gl/TUUA
Chartsbin.com - Historical Crude Oil prices, 1861 to Present: http://goo.gl/MtjS

Hint: I'm going to use the methodology of Al Gore and his ilk to Save the World! (From Al Gore and his ilk.) ]]> Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:21:00 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ quote: War and peace, Herodotus http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1350#1350 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1350#1350 - Croesus (595 BC – c. 547? BC) king of Lydia from 560 to 546 BC
(as quoted by Herodotus in The History) ]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:03:45 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Think.... No, NO! Don't think! http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1349#1349 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1349#1349
http://goo.gl/wVV4 ]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:54:22 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ Speed listening and being green http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1348#1348 http://galacticslacker.com/perl-bin/re2.5?message=1348#1348
Several years ago I hacked a script that would take an MP3, dump it to a WAV file, process it to speed it up, process it to lower the pitch (so that it didn't sound like chipmunks on cocaine), and re-compress it back into an MP3.

Some time later, a newer version of the tools I was using allowed me to speed up the tempo without "chipmonking" the voices, which made it faster and more efficient (while reducing the amount of energy used by the computer and allowing me a false sense of moral superiority for being "green").

While glancing over the documentation for Mplayer the other day, I noticed that Mplayer now has a built-in scaletemp function. The latest version of my script can shift the tempo and dump to WAV, then re-compress in a just two steps (because Mplayer can't dump directly to MP3).

Further improving my "greeness," I am no longer downloading the file, then tempo-shifting it, but tempo-shifting it before I write to disk the first time.

I think I'm going to do something special for myself to celebrate my false sense of environmental moral superiority. ]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:45:54 MST havoc GalacticSlacker HQ