Author Archives: pappp

Linux 3!

Posted on 2011-08-08 by pappp


I just ran my first major-version-number Linux kernel upgrade, and nothing caught fire. The “no fire” is mostly thanks to the Arch maintainers, who held it until a clean upgrade path and driver compatibility was established, so props to them.

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NPR Science Fiction and Fantasy

Posted on 2011-08-05 by pappp

At Systems Lunch earlier today one of the Professors brought up NPR’s Science Fiction And Fantasy Finalists list, which kicked off a fabulous discussion of favorites and extended the already ridiculous list of things I’d like to read. There are only a handful of things I consider appropriate for the list missing (like Brian Aldiss’ Helliconia Trilogy, mentioned in my last post), and a surprising number of things usually excluded for one reason or another (Like Timothy Zhan’s Thrawn Trilogy which is tainted by association with the Star Wars franchise, and Yevgeny Zamyatin’s under-appreciated dystopia novel We) present.

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Just read.

Posted on 2011-07-30 by pappp

I just snapped out of one of those particularly idyllic afternoons, when I finished the remainder of this year’s Jonathan Strahan edited “The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year” after I put it down a couple months ago and forgot about it. This was complimented with kwxx stream bringing me ridiculous but relaxing island pop. I hadn’t spent an afternoon just reading in too long.

I’ve picked up every previous volume of the collection and am going to post up a couple quick notes like I did for previous volumes in the preceding link, to give credit where due and make it so I can find them later.
Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, General, Literature, Music | 3 Comments

Why the hell did Google just force me to link my YouTube account to a Google account? Do not want.

Posted on 2011-07-28 by pappp | Leave a comment

Humble Indie Bundle, Again

Posted on 2011-07-26 by pappp

The Humble Inidie Bundle folks have a new set available, labelled #3. (I guess the last one was “Humble Frozenbyte Bundle” and thus not numbered). I liked Crayon Physics when it was an experiment on Maemo, and the collection of puzzle platformers that make up most of the balance look worthwhile. Once again, I’m in for $15.
EDIT: My mistake, the Maemo physics game I was thinking of was a contemporary play-alike called Numpty Physics

Posted in Computers, DIY, Entertainment, General, Objects | 1 Comment

Minecraft Survivalism

Posted on 2011-07-25 by pappp

While looking for something idle to do after I was out of patience for code the other day, I came across the Survivalism mod of Minecraft. Minecraft is a good sandbox, and a fair social activity, but isn’t terribly interesting as a game due to lack of objectives. Survivalism adds requirements for drinking, eating, and rest that make the game considerably more urgent and challenging, and gives the player a limited number of lives which changes the dynamic by keeping games finite. It lends a kind of rogue-like feel, which makes it way more interesting as a game. As we all know, Dying is Fun.

Posted in Computers, DIY, Entertainment | 2 Comments

JSTOR copying

Posted on 2011-07-20 by pappp

Open-Access Advocate Is Arrested for Huge Download
I’m pretty sure I don’t have a big problem with this kind of radical openness, especially with regard to journal publications… although that was a disgustingly unsubtle technique. I’ve always pictured a distributed project of the “Share your documents (and possibly your subscriptions)” darknet forming style… all the contacts are already in place, since that is how academics have been sharing harder to get publications for as long as those terms have had meaning, we just need a protocol to streamline finding and swapping over the ‘net. There is no excuse for journal access still being so closed and expensive.

Posted in Computers, General, School | Leave a comment

New CentrePointe design includes 30-story bundle of ‘tubes’ Hey! At least this design isn’t a giant phallus.

Posted on 2011-07-13 by pappp | Leave a comment

Driven off the Road by M.B.A.s (Rana Foroohar for Time) THIS. This this this this this. (Except for the detail where the apple example is mostly wrong)

Posted on 2011-07-09 by pappp | Leave a comment

While being a guinea pig for a software test, watching several groups try to coordinate for a tutorial via conference call and Skype makes me appreciate just how much better Google’s new hangout feature is — that said, they seem … Continue reading →

Posted on 2011-07-08 by pappp | Leave a comment