Cumulative Model

Times' Secret Program

The other day IT was in here to hook the nextdoor trailer up to our network. They needed to move my desk to get at the box, and when they did it collapsed. It just couldn't be put together again (it was warped).

Good. I hated my desk.

For one, I hate the height of desks. They are always too high.

I made my own desk out of stuff we had around and parts of the old desk. It was much better, the right height and the side of the old desk was just the right size for the top. However, because it wasn't fixed, my supervisor made me get ride of it (safety hazard). So now I'm using a printer stand from the office nextdoor and the drawer unit from my old desk (nice that I didn't have to move my things around).

Unfortunately it is the same height as a desk. Having experienced the comfort of an appropriately tall desk, I went to the carpentry shop yard and took a small platform to elevate my chair. Problem solved.

The only existing problem is that the printerstand is a couple inches smaller than the desk-side, which was perfect--just the right amount of workspace and small enough to keep the area open. It's a bit inconvient for shuffling papers. Oh well, can't win 'em all. But still, I like the smaller top better than the full size desktop, which for some reason, was no better for shuffling papers.

I got rid of my chair a while ago. Again (why does office funiture suck so much?), poor height, took up too much space, and I hate arm rests. I saw an article on people using exercise balls for desk chair so I gave it a try. It's much more comfortable and there are no restrictive, mispositioned armrests! And only $15 a pop (ha). The only inconvenience is having to reposition it everytime I sit down.[update : I bought a carpet remnant, so no more rolling away.]

Here's a pic (yeah, I just discovered I can upload pics today):

This is in the shade.

Here's one in the sun:

I bought a new toy. I ordered an apple 15" PowerBook Pro. It also came with 30GB iPod for an additional $90. Also, for another $90.00, I upgraded to the faster hard drive. I can't wait to get it, unfortunately it might be several weeks.

Buying it online was a pain in the ass. They may have a good product, but company runs like big government. After I picked everything I wanted out and went to purchase it, I found out that they do not deliver to APO addresses. The website said to go through AAFES. I went to a AAFES, they didn't have anything in store. The catalog said to use the AAFES website. The website was incredibly slow and of course there were no apple computers. Finally I ordered the computer to my cousins house and will have him forward it to me. This really sucks because now I have to pay Michigan tax and probably over $100.00 for shipping.

Me, outside of al Boom for a business function.

Al Boom is a replica of a 17th century wooden ship at the Radisson SAS, the interior has been turned into a resaurant.

The interior:

I bought this Lapiz Chess Set a couple of months ago. It was about $85.

I bought this wool carpet for my parents for the Mother's Day/Birthday/Father's Day Season. It's from Hariz, Iran.

Story by Alan Zarembo of the LA Times.

Joining the Mile High Club?

Some people are taking a closer look at WMD in Iraq.

I think that's a good idea, but hyping the idea that there were WMD in Iraq is really dumb. I have a feeling that the way some are spinning the reports of WMD in Iraq are setting us all up to look bad (not intentionally, of course).

Playing-up the old chem weapons scattered around as vast supplies of WMD is really dumb, and will take away from the more important themes that we should draw-on.

It would make much more sense to use the reports to provide proper perspective; reminding people that when they say "No WDM were found in Iraq", they mean it figuratively, not literally. They just didn't have large, fresh stocks and weren't actively producing WMD. They were doing research and could set-up production and testing in weeks (not days, as the brits believed).


aaron

...or: Environtoligist vs Scientologist.

...or: Spy vs Lie. (ok, that one is reaching).

I'm mostly impressed that this post generated so many comments.

Bitter got me screwing around on blogthings. Errr!

5 Factor personality test was suprisingly accurate considering I barely selected any responses:

Extroversion:
You have low extroversion.
You are quiet and reserved in most social situations.
A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you.
You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people.

Conscientiousness:
You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:
You have medium agreeableness.
You're generally a friendly and trusting person.
But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism.
You get along well with others, as long as they play fair.

Neuroticism:
You have medium neuroticism.
You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.
Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.
Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:
Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.
The Five Factor Personality Test

What DVDs I've recently watched (minus some of the especially bad one's, Evicted was horrible): Sin City; Strawberry Fields; Dirty Pretty Things (recommended); Aeon Flux; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Jarhead; V for Vendetta; Closer; the Swimming Pool; Dangerous Lives of Alterboys; Neon Genesis (collection here is spotty, so I ordered the series); Cursed; Dark Water; Waiting; Vanity Fair; Pride and Predjudice; Stay; Hustle and Flow; Crash; Time Code.

Memory is failing me, I'll update and provide links after I visit the rental again.

Too much chick music, that can't be healthy.

Tegan and Sara, So Jealous; Old Crow Medicine Show; tATu, Dangerous and Moving, 200km/h in the Wrong Lane; Porcupine Tree, Deadwing, In Absentia; Thelonious Monk Quartet w/ John Coltrane @ Carnegie Hall; White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan; KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope; Paul Simon, Suprise; Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Show Your Bones; Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak; Nickel Creek, Why Should the Fire Die; The Tea Party, Splendor Solice; Postal Service, Give Up; Cake, Motorcade of Genorousity; The Who; Supertramp, Breakfast in America; Les Paul; Louis XIV, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept; Ken Layne and the Corvids, Fought Down; Rascal Flatts, Feels Like Today; Kanye West, Late Registration; Digible Planets, Reachin'(A New Refutation of Time and Space); Bela Fleck, Little Worlds; Rush, Spirit of the Radio; Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream; Bebel Gilberto, Tanto Tempo; Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto; Rolling Stones, Beggar's Banquet; The Roots, Tipping Point; Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power; OMD, Sugar Tax; Janis Joplin, Super Hits; Harry Belefante, All Time Greatest Hits; Crystal Method, Vegas, Tweekend; Metallica; Coldplay, Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head; Cannonball Adderly, Somethin' Else; Blues Traveler, Four; Beck, Guero; Artic Monkeys, When the Sun Goes Down (lost my album, think it made it's way back to the states w/ a co-worker); Arcade Fire, Funeral; Allison Krauss & Union Station, Live; Radiohead, OK Computer; Ramones, Mania; BT, Ima; Butthole Surfers, Independent Worm Saloon; Beach Boys, Made in USA; Franz Ferdinand; Foo Fighers, In Your Honor; Michael Buble; The Pharcyde, Labcabincalifornia; Mozart: Eleven Overtures Essential Beethoven; Chopin Piano Favorites; Nirvana, Nevermind; Hometeam, Via Satellite from Saturn; G. Love and Special Sauce; Portishead; Nine Inch Nails, Fixed ; Tool, Undertow; Sublime, Greatest Hits; Korn; Phish, A Live One, Junta; Sting, Fields of Gold, Brand New Day.

Recently ordered: Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell; Nickel Creek, Nickel Creek, This Side; Zero 7, Simple Things; Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell; Nelly Furtado, Loose; bt, Movement in Still-life.

I haven't seen anything live in quite a while, but I list some anyway. Most recently Charlie Daniels (Arifjan), before that Crystal Method (State Theatre, Nectorine), Darude (Space), Incubus (Cobo). Going back several years 311 (Pine Knob, St. Theatre--or was St. Andrew's?), Bare Naked Ladies (Pine Knob), Dave Matthews (Pine Knob), Metallica (Palace), Cypress Hill (Pine Knob), Fugees (Pine Knob), Primus (State Theatre), Maralyn Manson (St. Andrews), some Lalapaloozas (Pine Knob), NIN (Pine Knob), Oasis (St. Andrews), ICP (all over, Kid Rock with them sometimes), Ramones (Pheonix in Pontiac), Pearljam (Breslan), Ani Defranco (some hall in Florence), Rage against the Machine (Cobo/JLA), Kid Rock (state fair video shoot. American Badass, I think),... I'll list others as they come to me. I'm pretty sure I've seen some shows at Hill and also more at St. Andrew's and the State Theatre and Harpos.

Right now I'm reading: A Scanner Darkly, The World's Banker, Fooled by Randomness, When Genius Failed (unfortunately I lost my copy, so 'til I find another....), Crisis of Abundance, The Prince.

Here's what I've recently read or listened to: Blink, Undercover Economist, System of the World, The Fountainhead, Snow Crash, Freakonomics, The Diamond Age, The Game, Army of Davids, Shop Girl.

Efficient Driving in Wikipedia.

Further support for my previous post.

When I have the time sometime, I will look at fuel consumption curves and try to create some traffic models. I should be able to figureout what level of buy-in is needed to get my fuel saving driving to work and how much fuel and time would be saved.

[Update:Climate Change Connection cites a researcher who says it's best to use 2/3 of available power!. I actually was aware of this link long, long ago but neglected to post it.]