I like to read about random things when I look around wikipedia and TV Tropes, and found out something a bit interesting, albeit something most people probably knew already! Potatoes are part of the Deadly Nightshade family, which I was vaguely aware of, but apparently certain varieties, when the flowers don't fall off, develop actual fruits! Unfortunately, these fruits are apparently highly toxic, as befits such a plant, but it looks oddly refreshing to me at least; almost like a green grape tomato.
In other news, there has been one commercial lately that has put me off; I usually record the tv shows I watch, and therefore fast forward through the commercials. This time, however, I had just let them play as I read, but noticed a disturbing thing about this commercial for computers. A family returns home to find their house has been burglarized, but their outdated computer has been left intact; this in itself isn't disturbing, but the fact that they are insulted that the computer was left behind! Indeed, once they arrive at Average Purchase, they show surprise that they could port over information! The last thing they say chills me, "Now this is a computer they'd want to steal!"
Yes, let's encourage crime and endanger your family! Who cares about your family's safety, we want EVERYTHING stolen, because we aren't some lower class family whose objects aren't worth stealing!
Hoping you guys don't get Bilbo Bagginsed
-Joel de Bunchastu
Showing posts with label Free Time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Time. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
More on Japan and Nuclear Woes
I have heard that due to the disaster in Japan, 80% of Germans polled are against nuclear energy, or at least were even before the incident. There is one thing I feel the need to make clear: this was not due to shoddy manufacture, the reactors had the misfortune of being built to withstand a reasonably strong earthquake, instead of these once in a millenium-to-once-in-a-geologic-epoch ones; many structures in Germany are less well shored up, I suspect, as well. Blaming this on the avarice of power companies is ill-advised, and frankly misaimed. Nuclear power has indeed been dangerous, but what is not often pointed out is that coal is also as bad, if not worse. I do not speak only of pollution; detectable radiation levels are generated by coal stacks, and uranium has been found in it before.
Nuclear power stands as one of the few proven, relatively clean methods of producing energy, something desperately needed in economic times like this; I agree that safety measures have to be taken, and that in the future reactors must be given more redundancies. Fukushima Dai-ichi had been built in the 70s, relatively new for a reactor; that it held up as well as it did to such a massive earthquake and tsunami is testament to how solid they are in the first place. Disasters are, by definition, terrible for human beings, but they also expose our weaknesses, so that we can learn from them. Let's not make a terrible mistake by discarding something, just as we have the opportunity to learn to make it even safer.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Nuclear power stands as one of the few proven, relatively clean methods of producing energy, something desperately needed in economic times like this; I agree that safety measures have to be taken, and that in the future reactors must be given more redundancies. Fukushima Dai-ichi had been built in the 70s, relatively new for a reactor; that it held up as well as it did to such a massive earthquake and tsunami is testament to how solid they are in the first place. Disasters are, by definition, terrible for human beings, but they also expose our weaknesses, so that we can learn from them. Let's not make a terrible mistake by discarding something, just as we have the opportunity to learn to make it even safer.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Thursday, March 10, 2011
How The Earth Was Made
As I've said before, I have been recording several tv shows that I normally wouldn't get a chance to see; today the one I am watching is about the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. It's part of a series of linked documentaries called, no surprise, "How The Earth Was Made". It's interesting to me, because the desert is so close to ocean, yet the hot air keeps any cool and moist air from rising above the hills surrounding the coast, which means it is around fifty times drier than Death Valley, even though it is on average about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Radio spectrometry performed on the rocks lying on the desert floor show that they have not been moved by flooding for at least 230 million years!
I wonder what would happen if those mountains were to be shaved in a section, allowing the lower hanging clouds to move into the area? Would it be flooded, and slowly bloom back into a prairie-like state, or just become a treacherous flood plain, even more dangerous than it is now? It's questions like that which also get me thinking about terraforming, and other major construction and earth-moving projects. Currents in the ocean are one of the major factors that affect world temperatures; if a sufficiently advanced civilization were to redirect those currents, say by building up islands in their way, would it mean a form of weather control was possible? Then again, it's just as likely it could ruin a relatively well balanced ecosphere, brining torrential storms where they'd never been seen before.
Speculation in this matter is just that, speculation; perhaps it would be better for people not to worry about modeling the future so much as to do what they can now to prevent climate change, if it is preventable.
-Joel de Bunchastu
I wonder what would happen if those mountains were to be shaved in a section, allowing the lower hanging clouds to move into the area? Would it be flooded, and slowly bloom back into a prairie-like state, or just become a treacherous flood plain, even more dangerous than it is now? It's questions like that which also get me thinking about terraforming, and other major construction and earth-moving projects. Currents in the ocean are one of the major factors that affect world temperatures; if a sufficiently advanced civilization were to redirect those currents, say by building up islands in their way, would it mean a form of weather control was possible? Then again, it's just as likely it could ruin a relatively well balanced ecosphere, brining torrential storms where they'd never been seen before.
Speculation in this matter is just that, speculation; perhaps it would be better for people not to worry about modeling the future so much as to do what they can now to prevent climate change, if it is preventable.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Elf Quest and the Puncturing of my New Tire~
Recently, while stumbling around TV Tropes, I found a comic that I hadn't heard of before, called Elf Quest. It seems that all, or at least a great deal, of the issues have been put online! Click here to start reading, but I warn you! It's really easy to start an archive binge, but not so easy to find a resting place if you get caught up in it!
I had at first thought it had to do with another comic, Drow Tales, that I had heard about before, but that's not the case. This was started in the late Seventies, and the art is done so well I had mistaken it for digital art! Then again, there is always the chance that it had been digitally redone, but from what I can tell it was originally done so skillfully.
I have just finished the very first 'series' of Elf Quest, and have started the second run, "Siege at Blue Mountain". Once I finally catch up, I hope there are some continuing issues being made; I will pace myself in any case, because disappointments like that can be unforeseeable, even if you think you're detached from the story.
During work today, however, something considerably less cheery happened. Apparently there was a screw left by a construction crew in the road, and I had to pull to the side after hearing a sudden flapping sound. I had to call AAA because my jack is missing, but thankfully my spare tire is in good repair. I was actually in a relatively good mood about this, because this is the first time I bought one of those road hazard warranties, so it wasn't money wasted at all!
Either tomorrow or the next day I will head by Walmart and get my replacement tire, and hope that the rim wasn't too badly dented; worst case I can still drive on the spare for a day or two, and it gives me an excuse to check out the electronics area and see if I'm due for an upgrade yet.
For the lulz
-Joel de Bunchastu
I had at first thought it had to do with another comic, Drow Tales, that I had heard about before, but that's not the case. This was started in the late Seventies, and the art is done so well I had mistaken it for digital art! Then again, there is always the chance that it had been digitally redone, but from what I can tell it was originally done so skillfully.
I have just finished the very first 'series' of Elf Quest, and have started the second run, "Siege at Blue Mountain". Once I finally catch up, I hope there are some continuing issues being made; I will pace myself in any case, because disappointments like that can be unforeseeable, even if you think you're detached from the story.
During work today, however, something considerably less cheery happened. Apparently there was a screw left by a construction crew in the road, and I had to pull to the side after hearing a sudden flapping sound. I had to call AAA because my jack is missing, but thankfully my spare tire is in good repair. I was actually in a relatively good mood about this, because this is the first time I bought one of those road hazard warranties, so it wasn't money wasted at all!
Either tomorrow or the next day I will head by Walmart and get my replacement tire, and hope that the rim wasn't too badly dented; worst case I can still drive on the spare for a day or two, and it gives me an excuse to check out the electronics area and see if I'm due for an upgrade yet.
For the lulz
-Joel de Bunchastu
Monday, March 7, 2011
Trashy TV Shows
Ever since our family had gotten a dvr unit as part of an upgrade in service (Which actually ends up costing less than C-----t, oddly enough!) I have been recording a few different shows that I hadn't had a chance to watch before. I started out recordig some shows that I'd see before ad just didn't have dvds for (Sealab 2021, Robot Chicken, etc), but the I decided to check out some ew programs.
The first one I checked out was Pawn Stars, about a pawn shop located in or near Las Vegas. Much of the entertainment value for me is actually listening to the stories behind some of the items, even if they may be made up. A lot of the time it seems realistic enough, but there are many times when it's obvious that it's scripted. A dream sequence is even inserted into the episode, complete with the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire set and cast. The main characters shown are "The Old Man", Rick, "Big mley"; Three out of four are family, Grandfather, Father and son, with Chumley being the childhood fried of Big Hoss. Chumley is a source of a lot of comic relief due to bumbling acts, but they are sometimes more painful to watch than you'd like.
These people can sometimes do a somewhat good deed, but greed is common, and they lie about what something will cost to refinish, or how much it's worth. They also drive down purchase prices to below half of what the 'experts' they have comne in to identify items, and often Rick will claim something is obviously fake, only for it to be authentic, whereas he then makes a 180 turn and says how awesome it is. Overall, it's a pretty entertaining piece of television, and I'd suggest trying to watch it at least once; you can find it on the History channel of all places, probably citing the iformation about antiques.
Another show worth mentioning is America Pickers, which is actually rather similar to Pawn Stars, except that two middle-aged me go out and buy antiques and interesting pieces of americana, I haven't watched much of it yet, so I'm not sure if I'll continue watching it, but it would probably be best to give it at least three episodes before dropping it. This is also on the History Channel, probably under the same pretense of people searching for "antiques".
Tru Tv (Formerly, as I'm sure most of you know, Court TV) has the other two shows I'm following; the first I watched, Bait Car, is actually based off the real bait car concept originally adopted by Canadian police to combat car theft. The basic premise is that police rig a car with cameras, microphones, a gps tracking beacon, as well as a unit that allows them to remotely shut off the engine and lock the doors from the inside. The original reason for this was that car thieves were notoriously hard to convict, as getting evidence that a given suspect had actually done anything was hard to prove. Thankfully, now all they have to do is show the tape in court; as a matter of fact, these tapes became so popular a site was born, Bait Car (DOTCOMMM)
At first, the police were nervous that this would expose their operations, but some disagreed with this assessment; if this was more widely known, car thieves may back off in the belief that any car could be trapped in such a way! In the beginning, people still made excuses (I need to go see... my,.. nephew's grave), but as the concept was wider known, a look of resigned fear started to appear on thieves' faces as the car they had just gotten away scot-free with was their doom.
Speaking of car theft, the final show I'll talk about is Operation Repo; it is filmed in a manner similar to Cops, but is actually scripted out, all the action supposedly based on real events. This show, I must admit, is a guilty pleasure for me; seeing people try to lie their way out of being repossessed is a bit like a trainwreck. I just can't look away; even though I sympathize with people who have financial problems, they wouldn't be in this situation if they hadn't avoided payments. A lot of time creditors *are* willing to work with you, because they would rather have your payments than have to pay a company to take a vehicle from you.
Until Next Time,
-Joel de Bunchastu
The first one I checked out was Pawn Stars, about a pawn shop located in or near Las Vegas. Much of the entertainment value for me is actually listening to the stories behind some of the items, even if they may be made up. A lot of the time it seems realistic enough, but there are many times when it's obvious that it's scripted. A dream sequence is even inserted into the episode, complete with the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire set and cast. The main characters shown are "The Old Man", Rick, "Big mley"; Three out of four are family, Grandfather, Father and son, with Chumley being the childhood fried of Big Hoss. Chumley is a source of a lot of comic relief due to bumbling acts, but they are sometimes more painful to watch than you'd like.
These people can sometimes do a somewhat good deed, but greed is common, and they lie about what something will cost to refinish, or how much it's worth. They also drive down purchase prices to below half of what the 'experts' they have comne in to identify items, and often Rick will claim something is obviously fake, only for it to be authentic, whereas he then makes a 180 turn and says how awesome it is. Overall, it's a pretty entertaining piece of television, and I'd suggest trying to watch it at least once; you can find it on the History channel of all places, probably citing the iformation about antiques.
Another show worth mentioning is America Pickers, which is actually rather similar to Pawn Stars, except that two middle-aged me go out and buy antiques and interesting pieces of americana, I haven't watched much of it yet, so I'm not sure if I'll continue watching it, but it would probably be best to give it at least three episodes before dropping it. This is also on the History Channel, probably under the same pretense of people searching for "antiques".
Tru Tv (Formerly, as I'm sure most of you know, Court TV) has the other two shows I'm following; the first I watched, Bait Car, is actually based off the real bait car concept originally adopted by Canadian police to combat car theft. The basic premise is that police rig a car with cameras, microphones, a gps tracking beacon, as well as a unit that allows them to remotely shut off the engine and lock the doors from the inside. The original reason for this was that car thieves were notoriously hard to convict, as getting evidence that a given suspect had actually done anything was hard to prove. Thankfully, now all they have to do is show the tape in court; as a matter of fact, these tapes became so popular a site was born, Bait Car (DOTCOMMM)
At first, the police were nervous that this would expose their operations, but some disagreed with this assessment; if this was more widely known, car thieves may back off in the belief that any car could be trapped in such a way! In the beginning, people still made excuses (I need to go see... my,.. nephew's grave), but as the concept was wider known, a look of resigned fear started to appear on thieves' faces as the car they had just gotten away scot-free with was their doom.
Speaking of car theft, the final show I'll talk about is Operation Repo; it is filmed in a manner similar to Cops, but is actually scripted out, all the action supposedly based on real events. This show, I must admit, is a guilty pleasure for me; seeing people try to lie their way out of being repossessed is a bit like a trainwreck. I just can't look away; even though I sympathize with people who have financial problems, they wouldn't be in this situation if they hadn't avoided payments. A lot of time creditors *are* willing to work with you, because they would rather have your payments than have to pay a company to take a vehicle from you.
Until Next Time,
-Joel de Bunchastu
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Times have changed
Hurrah, my schedule hasn't changed, so I do indeed have more hours this week! I celebrated by watching the Death Note live action movie I just got from Netflix; it's a lot better than I thought, and have immediately queued up the two sequels, even the one that isn't apparently based on the manga.
I enjoy how some events had been changed; I will not mention specifics, but they tend to streamline the storytelling process, perhaps a bit too much! When the movie ended, I was not expecting it, to say the least, but I actually was left wanting to see more, which movies rarely do anymore.
I watched Ichi the Killer as well, which I actually enjoyed also, despite my fears of it being uninteresting, gore aside. I haven't watched a lot of japanese horror movies, despite my like of anime and such, so maybe its time to expand the genres I watch...
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them! In the meantime, I'll look on Netflix and local video stores~
Cheers
-Joel de Bunchastu
I enjoy how some events had been changed; I will not mention specifics, but they tend to streamline the storytelling process, perhaps a bit too much! When the movie ended, I was not expecting it, to say the least, but I actually was left wanting to see more, which movies rarely do anymore.
I watched Ichi the Killer as well, which I actually enjoyed also, despite my fears of it being uninteresting, gore aside. I haven't watched a lot of japanese horror movies, despite my like of anime and such, so maybe its time to expand the genres I watch...
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them! In the meantime, I'll look on Netflix and local video stores~
Cheers
-Joel de Bunchastu
Friday, March 4, 2011
Browser Games~
One thing I've been into for quite some time now has been several browser based games. You know the kind, you are limited to a certain amount of actions each day/hour/etc and you're either pitted against other players or the environment. They are also generally either "Free" to play, or you can just buy whatever macguffin the game is based on, such as Fate for Echo Bazaar or "Notorious Status" in Star Pirates.
Now I generally never pay for such things; occasionally I have (Nationstates, curse you!), and I may even buy some Fate in Echo Bazaar, just to help support the game (It's also required to enter some quests, and can also increase your actions, so I might as well do both~). Even Star Pirates' special stuff helps out without being a game breaker (You recharge your stats 1.5x as fast as normal!)
However, there are always people who will never buy such things, and see it as cheating to do so! In another game I dabble in, OGame, those who purchase "Officers" tend to be ganged up on by vigilante players who want to put an end to official 'cheats. (In this case, I feel they are right; the Officers can do anything from letting you queue build orders, increase your energy supply, or let you get more minerals without building anything! It'd be one thing if it was earned through some kind of action, but when you can just buy it, the richest tend to get the best).
Personally, I don't feel it's too important to stress over; I hope you found something interesting in this, and if you have any questions about some other games, there are plenty out there! Even MUDS are still around, which I may go back to sometime soon.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Now I generally never pay for such things; occasionally I have (Nationstates, curse you!), and I may even buy some Fate in Echo Bazaar, just to help support the game (It's also required to enter some quests, and can also increase your actions, so I might as well do both~). Even Star Pirates' special stuff helps out without being a game breaker (You recharge your stats 1.5x as fast as normal!)
However, there are always people who will never buy such things, and see it as cheating to do so! In another game I dabble in, OGame, those who purchase "Officers" tend to be ganged up on by vigilante players who want to put an end to official 'cheats. (In this case, I feel they are right; the Officers can do anything from letting you queue build orders, increase your energy supply, or let you get more minerals without building anything! It'd be one thing if it was earned through some kind of action, but when you can just buy it, the richest tend to get the best).
Personally, I don't feel it's too important to stress over; I hope you found something interesting in this, and if you have any questions about some other games, there are plenty out there! Even MUDS are still around, which I may go back to sometime soon.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Hours increase!
I am in luck, my hours have returned to the previous 5 days a week schedule! I am still not closing on any of the days, but the increase in tips will make it a lot easier to save money, and my paychecks should go up again as well. I only hope this is a continuing trend, as my manager claimed it would be; the job search will be extended, and in the mean time I need to make a living somehow.
A friend of mine online suggested joining a union of some kind; I am interested in returning to an electronics related field, and if I joined the IBEW there is training and, at locals with "hiring halls", help with job placement. I would have to purchase tools though, which would seem to be a couple hundred dollars, so its not a quick-fix by any means! I would start as an apprentice, but I'm willing to learn, and that kind of structure actually makes me a bit more eager to 'move up' in an organization.
I have the day off tomorrow, which will be spent tidying up some more around the house. I've finished cleaning my car, and while it no longer has that new-car smell, at least it smells fresh.
-Joel de Bunchastu
A friend of mine online suggested joining a union of some kind; I am interested in returning to an electronics related field, and if I joined the IBEW there is training and, at locals with "hiring halls", help with job placement. I would have to purchase tools though, which would seem to be a couple hundred dollars, so its not a quick-fix by any means! I would start as an apprentice, but I'm willing to learn, and that kind of structure actually makes me a bit more eager to 'move up' in an organization.
I have the day off tomorrow, which will be spent tidying up some more around the house. I've finished cleaning my car, and while it no longer has that new-car smell, at least it smells fresh.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Spring Cleaning?
Well, tomorrow I am going to attempt to go through all my things I've accumulated during the past year, hopefully finding a place for them! Unfortunately, I tend to hang onto things long past when I really need them; there are books in my bookshelves that I haven't read in ages, yet I still hold onto them.
Perhaps they aren't classics in the traditional sense of the word, but to me they are some of my earliest exposures to imaginitive writing that wasn't picturebook based. One of my favorite, which is generally considered a classic, is the Phantom Toll Booth; I think a lot of people nowadays would benefit from such an experience as Milo had, child or not. We tend to never pay attention to where we are, as a society, instead preferring to constantly either dawdle in the past, or rush forward to a future that will never be. "Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today!", as is said in another of the books I still own, perhaps you remember it as well?
Then again, I may be weird for a twentysomething; I prefer to live in the moment, while occasionally planning for the future, and cherishing the past. There is a difference, after all, and one should never forget what you've experienced, so you can learn from it.
Doing this helps clear out the mind, and brings a clarity and peace that I haven't experienced in any other way, except rare moments.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Perhaps they aren't classics in the traditional sense of the word, but to me they are some of my earliest exposures to imaginitive writing that wasn't picturebook based. One of my favorite, which is generally considered a classic, is the Phantom Toll Booth; I think a lot of people nowadays would benefit from such an experience as Milo had, child or not. We tend to never pay attention to where we are, as a society, instead preferring to constantly either dawdle in the past, or rush forward to a future that will never be. "Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today!", as is said in another of the books I still own, perhaps you remember it as well?
Then again, I may be weird for a twentysomething; I prefer to live in the moment, while occasionally planning for the future, and cherishing the past. There is a difference, after all, and one should never forget what you've experienced, so you can learn from it.
Doing this helps clear out the mind, and brings a clarity and peace that I haven't experienced in any other way, except rare moments.
-Joel de Bunchastu
Monday, February 28, 2011
Second day off~
Went out to apply to a few places again, since I wasn't scheduled (big surprise!) at work; I was also able to get a few hours doorhanging, which is actually nice when the weather is warm and not too bright. It also gives me a chance to get a little exercise and listen to some of my backlog of audio books, which is what I usually do while delivering.
I decided to get the Birdemic Rifftrax, and hope it's as funny as the others I've watched. I haven't seen it yet, but I have high hopes for the quality of the .gifs! It probably won't distract from the pumpkin festival action at all, but I will have extra gourds with me just in case Nguyen decides to go light on the squashfests.
Having a lot of free time is a problem I'm not used to; even with the job search, there are long hours where I don't really have much to do, so I have been going through my backlog of recorded tv. Since I had never gotten around to watching TruTV ever since it changed from CourtTv, I tuned in and saw some commercials for Bait Car; that and the Operation Repo show actually look interesting to me, if slightly... seedy (Kind of like Pawn Stars, perhaps?)
I will have to go grocery shopping in the next day or so, and despite it being quite unhealthy, I have been living off ramen/banquet tv dinners; at least I'm not breaking 1800 calories, and may even lose weight! It will only cost me my heart what with all the salt, but hey it's not like that kind of thing is important or anything right?
-Joel de Bunchastu
I decided to get the Birdemic Rifftrax, and hope it's as funny as the others I've watched. I haven't seen it yet, but I have high hopes for the quality of the .gifs! It probably won't distract from the pumpkin festival action at all, but I will have extra gourds with me just in case Nguyen decides to go light on the squashfests.
Having a lot of free time is a problem I'm not used to; even with the job search, there are long hours where I don't really have much to do, so I have been going through my backlog of recorded tv. Since I had never gotten around to watching TruTV ever since it changed from CourtTv, I tuned in and saw some commercials for Bait Car; that and the Operation Repo show actually look interesting to me, if slightly... seedy (Kind of like Pawn Stars, perhaps?)
I will have to go grocery shopping in the next day or so, and despite it being quite unhealthy, I have been living off ramen/banquet tv dinners; at least I'm not breaking 1800 calories, and may even lose weight! It will only cost me my heart what with all the salt, but hey it's not like that kind of thing is important or anything right?
-Joel de Bunchastu
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