Aerobic Exercise, Nintendo Style: Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-B-A-Select-Start
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Dream Journal: Business Trip to China
It is about 10pm and I'm heading off to an all hands meeting in R9 (boy they're working us hard at Raytheon). I board the shuttle bus and meet Mike Stemig and Shou-Lin Jensen. I exchange courtesies with Shou-Lin and sit next to Mike. Mike tells me that he has a proposal for me. He wants me to go on a business trip to discuss some contract related details with a customer. He shows me the plan but then I notice that the customer is in the middle of China! The next thing I know, I'm in a place that looks like the Forbidden City. I don't remember much from the trip except for the way the roofs of the buildings look. All the buildings are a pastel-y color and have flowery roofs.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Dream Journal: My Feuding Aunts
We're driving to Jason's birthday party when my mom tells me something incredible has happened. My Aunt Lang who has been locked in a bitter feud with Gale's mom since the beginning of time has finally conceded defeat and apologized for everything that has happened between them. I see her in my magical mind's eye actually apologizing and the two of them make up. I am so shocked at this turn of events that something in my conscious mind detects something wrong and then I wake up.
Dream Journal: Helping Wen at Work?
[I actually had this dream the night of the 28th but I didn't get the chance to post it until now.]
I'm in R1 and about to go to lunch with the guys. However, Wen comes into my office and asks for some help with the hardware down in the lab. I agree but tell him it better be quick. When I get there, I see a whole mess of LRMs in a huge rack with lots of wires running every which way. The problem Wen wants me to fix is really tough to figure out though and I'm getting later by the minute. I finally find a fix that I think will work but then another problem pops up to replace it. I begin to get really frustrated.
I'm in R1 and about to go to lunch with the guys. However, Wen comes into my office and asks for some help with the hardware down in the lab. I agree but tell him it better be quick. When I get there, I see a whole mess of LRMs in a huge rack with lots of wires running every which way. The problem Wen wants me to fix is really tough to figure out though and I'm getting later by the minute. I finally find a fix that I think will work but then another problem pops up to replace it. I begin to get really frustrated.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Back from Florida
Just got back from a business trip in Tampa, Florida. The North Reddington Beach and Clearwater areas were really nice and driving the 275 highway across Tampa Bay was surreal (basically water to my left and right). It rained like hell on Tuesday night so driving was pretty scary. The fact that Tom Woodhall drove compounded that as he told us he has depth perception problems. Note to self: for sake of self preservation, insist on reserving rental car in my own name for any future business trips.
I must have had really bad luck picking dishes at restaurants because I thought the food there sucked (practically everything I had there was overcooked). Because I did not sleep Monday night and was knocked out the next night, I don't have any dreams to log in my dream journal.
I must have had really bad luck picking dishes at restaurants because I thought the food there sucked (practically everything I had there was overcooked). Because I did not sleep Monday night and was knocked out the next night, I don't have any dreams to log in my dream journal.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Dream Journal: In Class with the Folks at Work
I'm back in the 5th grade except that I am my age but everyone else is 11. The teacher asks an intractable question to keep us busy but I answer it with ease (I'm the smartest 27 year old 5th grader at Micheltorena Street School). He is so impressed that he lets me sit at a separate table all by myself to do anything I want. So, I grab a piece of paper and start doodling. Then I bust out a portable DVD and start watching "Finding Nemo".
When I look up again, the class has totally changed. Instead of 5th graders, I'm in a training class with other Raytheon employees, and I specifically remember William, Clem, Dave Wells, and Mike Panossian being in the class with me. Dave Tang is our instructor and he is teach a history of avionics class. He is describing the B2 bomber but nobody is interested. Dave Wells and Clem see me watching Little Nemo so they start surfing the web and watching their own shows. Dave Tang notices Clem and Dave Wells goofing off and yell at them for it. Dave Wells is like, "Oh no way, Ben isn't getting away that easy..." so he walks over to point out my portable DVD player. Dave Tang gives me a really hard stare but then William interrupts by asking Dave T. what good this class is since we're learning about old aircraft that none of us work on. Dave T. explains that in order to become good engineers we need to learn from the work of those before us. Then the bell rings before he can finish his lecture and we head to lunch.
Meng suddenly appears in the group for no reason. Meng, Dave Wells (no hard feelings, Dave) and I walk across campus to the cafeteria. However there is a huge fence separating that part of campus from us. We take a detour that leads us down to the basement, where we discover another cafeteria there. We grab our food, which appears to be the shrimp scampi Ngoc and I had in Hawaii (excellent cafeteria by the way) and head to the eating area. However we approach a long, long underground hallway. Meng and Dave take out skateboards and start zipping away. I don't have a skateboard and since I can't keep up, I decide to sit down at my end of the hallway and start eating my shrimp.
When I look up again, the class has totally changed. Instead of 5th graders, I'm in a training class with other Raytheon employees, and I specifically remember William, Clem, Dave Wells, and Mike Panossian being in the class with me. Dave Tang is our instructor and he is teach a history of avionics class. He is describing the B2 bomber but nobody is interested. Dave Wells and Clem see me watching Little Nemo so they start surfing the web and watching their own shows. Dave Tang notices Clem and Dave Wells goofing off and yell at them for it. Dave Wells is like, "Oh no way, Ben isn't getting away that easy..." so he walks over to point out my portable DVD player. Dave Tang gives me a really hard stare but then William interrupts by asking Dave T. what good this class is since we're learning about old aircraft that none of us work on. Dave T. explains that in order to become good engineers we need to learn from the work of those before us. Then the bell rings before he can finish his lecture and we head to lunch.
Meng suddenly appears in the group for no reason. Meng, Dave Wells (no hard feelings, Dave) and I walk across campus to the cafeteria. However there is a huge fence separating that part of campus from us. We take a detour that leads us down to the basement, where we discover another cafeteria there. We grab our food, which appears to be the shrimp scampi Ngoc and I had in Hawaii (excellent cafeteria by the way) and head to the eating area. However we approach a long, long underground hallway. Meng and Dave take out skateboards and start zipping away. I don't have a skateboard and since I can't keep up, I decide to sit down at my end of the hallway and start eating my shrimp.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Dream Journal: Grisham's "Last Juror" meets Time Travel
I just finished John Grisham's "Last Juror" and somehow my subconscious combined it with a short story I read a LONG time ago about a time traveling experiment gone awry that leaves a modern day scientist stuck in Cro-Magnon times. For the life of me I can't remember the title of the story but if this rings a bell in anyone's head, let me know and I'll give you a shiny nickel.
Anyway, my dream starts out in the Cro-Magnon era where I am a time traveler stuck in that period. I have integrated myself in a Cro-Magnon village and have become a village shaman of sorts by demonstrating the magical things I can do with my modern day knowledge. A group of Neanderthals, two men and one woman, come to the village in need of help because they are dying off (since Cro-Magnon humans will supposedly replace them). I give to them instant Oatmeal (how I invented that I don't know) and show them how to make/eat it. While trying to speak to the Neaderthal woman, she says something to me that makes me realize how I can time travel arbitrarily back and forward (I guess she's a really smart Neanderthal who majored in temporal physics).
From that point on, I appear in a Southern town as the owner of a newspaper. Another weird thing is that I look exactly like Richard Gere (I don't think I'd fit in otherwise) so apparently I have added the ability to shape shift as well as time travel. I use my ability to travel back and forward in time to accurately "predict" the news and my subscriptions go through the roof (tomorrow's news... today!). I eventually become elected mayor of the town and live in the town center in the nicest mansion in the south (no offense to Graceland). As mayor I tour the town marketplace and stop by a fish market. Inside the fish market, I see a weird looking fish I have never seen before (I'll try to include a sketch of it later). It looks like a cross between a manta ray and a shell-less turtle... I'm mesmerized by it and my dream ends with me staring at it. Oh yeah, by the way, at this time, I've morphed again into Tom Hanks.
Anyway, my dream starts out in the Cro-Magnon era where I am a time traveler stuck in that period. I have integrated myself in a Cro-Magnon village and have become a village shaman of sorts by demonstrating the magical things I can do with my modern day knowledge. A group of Neanderthals, two men and one woman, come to the village in need of help because they are dying off (since Cro-Magnon humans will supposedly replace them). I give to them instant Oatmeal (how I invented that I don't know) and show them how to make/eat it. While trying to speak to the Neaderthal woman, she says something to me that makes me realize how I can time travel arbitrarily back and forward (I guess she's a really smart Neanderthal who majored in temporal physics).
From that point on, I appear in a Southern town as the owner of a newspaper. Another weird thing is that I look exactly like Richard Gere (I don't think I'd fit in otherwise) so apparently I have added the ability to shape shift as well as time travel. I use my ability to travel back and forward in time to accurately "predict" the news and my subscriptions go through the roof (tomorrow's news... today!). I eventually become elected mayor of the town and live in the town center in the nicest mansion in the south (no offense to Graceland). As mayor I tour the town marketplace and stop by a fish market. Inside the fish market, I see a weird looking fish I have never seen before (I'll try to include a sketch of it later). It looks like a cross between a manta ray and a shell-less turtle... I'm mesmerized by it and my dream ends with me staring at it. Oh yeah, by the way, at this time, I've morphed again into Tom Hanks.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Oh my God! I'm Photo Blogging
I've reached the next level: photo blogging.
For my test image I snapped a picture of my girlfriend doing her homework next to me. However she objected vehemently to my publishing it on my blog. So the alternative was to pick this random picture she took of Rose McGowan I found on my CF card. You know, Rose McGowan? Of "Charmed" fame. Yeah, I know. I'm underwhelmed as well.
For my test image I snapped a picture of my girlfriend doing her homework next to me. However she objected vehemently to my publishing it on my blog. So the alternative was to pick this random picture she took of Rose McGowan I found on my CF card. You know, Rose McGowan? Of "Charmed" fame. Yeah, I know. I'm underwhelmed as well.
The Beginning of the Online Dream Journal!
I just suddenly realized what I can use this blog for... keeping a record of my never-been-updated-since-last-year dream journal! Technology and nonsensical images that flash in my head while I sleep: two things that were meant to go together.
Fog Of War
Got the "Fog Of War" feature working for Pen and Paper War last night. It's nice to be able to look up tutorials from the java.sun.com homepage and applying that info to a working feature within a few hours.
If only everything else was that simple.
If only everything else was that simple.
S&P 500
Damn, missed out on the 2.5% rally yesterday... because I didn't have $17 extra in my lousy Roth IRA account... Hmm.... time to make my 2005 contribution I guess. However, I caught some article that said that a market drop was likely in the recent future, so I'm a little confused. Who are these talking heads that spout financial advice anyway?
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Settled My Charge Number Dilemma and Said So Long to Matt
Yep, feels good to be able to surf the web and update my blog using a valid charge number again. Don't know anything about charge numbers? Then you obviously don't work for the military industrial complex, long may it yet live.
Went to Shinsengumi Hakata Ramen (it feels so good typing it, let alone saying it). Soup base was salty, gyoza was tiny, and noodes were so so. That didn't stop me from getting a 95 cent noodle refill though. That's right always a sucker for a good bargain. Like that cupcake and bottle of Off! I gave to Matt as a parting gift. They didn't cost more than $4 but at least he'll have that to remember me by... that bastard.
Went to Shinsengumi Hakata Ramen (it feels so good typing it, let alone saying it). Soup base was salty, gyoza was tiny, and noodes were so so. That didn't stop me from getting a 95 cent noodle refill though. That's right always a sucker for a good bargain. Like that cupcake and bottle of Off! I gave to Matt as a parting gift. They didn't cost more than $4 but at least he'll have that to remember me by... that bastard.
Just got my first working prototype of Pen and Paper War
So I got the most basic functionality working on my Java game that is based on the Narya framework. Woot! The next few weeks should prove to be very fruitful indeed as this was the most annoying part of the implementation (or was it...). I for one welcome my new feature creep bearing overlord.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
This is my first blog.... prepare the Internet for my brain dump
I had a sudden, random urge to post a blog. I just want to put random stuff and information in here in case I need to search for it later in life when I say, develop, Alzheimer's or something (probably likely as I am very forgetful). I picked blogger since Google bought it and everything Google is good.
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