Dog-Mongoose-Robot Pet
Monday, May 30, 2005
Dream Journal: Weird Dog/Mongoose/Robot Hybrid
I'm at a seaside resort with Ngoc and my cousin Jennifer. We're heading back home when we walk through the hotel gift shop. The gift shop is huge like Walmart, however. We pass by the pet area and a lady is trying to push a "dog" on us. The dog is fenced in by a low rectangular barrier. I take a closer look at the animal and notice it is a motley collection of different parts. It had the head of a dog, the body of a badger, and tank tracks on the bottom of its body. Apparently, the tank tracks allow the owner an extra degree of control over the animal because the lady was showing how she could override its movements with a remote control. I'm really creeped out by the sight of the thing by now so I take my leave.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Dream Journal: Business Trip to Somewhere And Hanging with Bill Berry
I'm on a business trip with Mike Stemig, Tom Woodall, Toeung, and Long. I have no idea why it is such an odd combination of people. We're staying at a hotel when we decide to go down for dinner. The restaurant is a buffet of some sort and instead of getting real food, everybody just gets dessert. I take a particularly large piece of a huge fruit tart. Alas, before I get to take a bite, Mike says we need to catch our flight. We rush to the airport, which coincidentally looks a lot like the Sidney Airport in the show "Lost", and rush to our plane.
As soon as I get back, I get into my car and drive to a festival of some sort. It looks to be somewhere in Manhattan Beach or Burbank. I seem to have made arrangments to meet Bill Berry there. I find him and he takes me to his foreign legion outpost, which seems to be the headquarters of the festival organizers. I talk to the head of the foreign legion and he tells me to hang around and he'll show me a more detailed tour of the festival later. As soon as I'm left alone, I head out to the festival where there is a massive eating area that reminds me of the Farmer's Market at the Grove. One of the stands is making BBQ chicken and pastries so I line up to get me some since I missed out on the fruit tart.
As soon as I get back, I get into my car and drive to a festival of some sort. It looks to be somewhere in Manhattan Beach or Burbank. I seem to have made arrangments to meet Bill Berry there. I find him and he takes me to his foreign legion outpost, which seems to be the headquarters of the festival organizers. I talk to the head of the foreign legion and he tells me to hang around and he'll show me a more detailed tour of the festival later. As soon as I'm left alone, I head out to the festival where there is a massive eating area that reminds me of the Farmer's Market at the Grove. One of the stands is making BBQ chicken and pastries so I line up to get me some since I missed out on the fruit tart.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Dream Journal: The Final Episode of "Lost"
This dream was my parallel universe version of the "Lost" season finale. In this version, there are two 747s that go down at the same time but on opposite ends of the island. and for whatever reason, the two factions don't get along. In this episode, one of the factions approaches the other because they have a strange problem. They have been suspecting that there is one more survivor of the crash that has been hiding his existence from the others. They don't know why but they know he has been stealing their food and was sighted crawling through the wreckage of their downed plane. The perspective then switches to that faction's plane wreckage and pans for a closeup and it is revealed to be Bryan Cranston, the dad from "Malcome in the Middle". It is also raining by the way. So two members of the other faction decide to go over to help figure out this mystery.
Those two members are played by Ben Afleck and another famous actor I can no longer remember. While they're walking we hit a flashback sequence. The two of them are walking through a Spanish countryside. They are lost (lost in Lost, heh) so they decide to split up when the reach a fork in the road and see which is the better alternative. The guy who is not Ben Afleck takes the low road and happens upon the carcas of a dead cow. The corpse is really gross and cut up. Then the corpse starts moving as if pulled by invisible strings. Parts of the cow regenerate and its missing body pieces start flying offscreen back onto the cow's torso. Pretty soon the cow gets a complete body and begins mooing again. Other dead animals like sheep start doing the same thing.
Those two members are played by Ben Afleck and another famous actor I can no longer remember. While they're walking we hit a flashback sequence. The two of them are walking through a Spanish countryside. They are lost (lost in Lost, heh) so they decide to split up when the reach a fork in the road and see which is the better alternative. The guy who is not Ben Afleck takes the low road and happens upon the carcas of a dead cow. The corpse is really gross and cut up. Then the corpse starts moving as if pulled by invisible strings. Parts of the cow regenerate and its missing body pieces start flying offscreen back onto the cow's torso. Pretty soon the cow gets a complete body and begins mooing again. Other dead animals like sheep start doing the same thing.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
PaperWar version 1.1 Updated!
Play my game at: http://www.gamegardens.com
You'll need an account and Java 1.5 to run...
Change Summary:
Cosmetic Changes:
-----------------
1) Updated panel such that you can only upgrade you weapon during your turn
2) Improved the highlighting of the player and opponent's current shot (now there is a circle that shows the radius)
3) Killed units no longer disappear from screen but rather stay on and show a big X on it
4) You can now observe your opponents view of your playing field (i.e., track how close your opponent is to finding your units)
5) The bonus per turn and bonus for destroying a unit have changed a bit.
Major Change:
--------------
You may now play against an AI! Just select 1 AI opponent and the AI skill level. The behavior of the AI skill level is explained below:
AI Level 0: Totally random placement of shots. Once a unit is spotted though, it will dispatch of it within the next turn. Does not use any bonuses. Does not cheat. Summary: The random placement of shots makes it totally dumb.
AI Level 1: Will not place a shot if it is too close to an existing shot, if possible. Once the board gets crowded it will get confused and revert back to random. Once a unit is spotted it will dispatch of it within 4 moves (random). Does not use any bonuses. Does not cheat. Summary: It starts out strong but in the late game it is no better than AI Level 0.
AI Level 2: Will not place a shot if it is too close to an existing shot, if possible. Once the board gets crowded it will get confused and revert back to random. Once a unit is spotted it will dispatch of it within 3 moves (random). However, it will pick one random bonus (view, range, MIRV) and use it against you. Does not cheat. Summary: Because of the use of the bonuses, it has a better chance of spotting your units before the board gets too crowded.
AI Level 3: Will not place a shot if it is too close to an existing shot, if possible. Once the board gets crowded it will get confused and revert back to random. Once a unit is spotted it will dispatch of it within 2 moves (random). However, it may use up to four view bonus upgrades against you if funds permit. Does not cheat. Summary: It knows that its best asset is being able to spot your units so it will pull out all the stops. Summary: Game should be a little closer...
Level 4: Just a big ol' cheater. Knows where all your units are but will take 2 - 3 tries before eliminating a unit to make it a little sportier. Doesn't use bonuses because it doesn't have to. Summary: If you use bonuses strategically, you can take this smug cheating bastard out (as long as you can make it in about 30 or so moves).
You'll need an account and Java 1.5 to run...
Change Summary:
Cosmetic Changes:
-----------------
1) Updated panel such that you can only upgrade you weapon during your turn
2) Improved the highlighting of the player and opponent's current shot (now there is a circle that shows the radius)
3) Killed units no longer disappear from screen but rather stay on and show a big X on it
4) You can now observe your opponents view of your playing field (i.e., track how close your opponent is to finding your units)
5) The bonus per turn and bonus for destroying a unit have changed a bit.
Major Change:
--------------
You may now play against an AI! Just select 1 AI opponent and the AI skill level. The behavior of the AI skill level is explained below:
AI Level 0: Totally random placement of shots. Once a unit is spotted though, it will dispatch of it within the next turn. Does not use any bonuses. Does not cheat. Summary: The random placement of shots makes it totally dumb.
AI Level 1: Will not place a shot if it is too close to an existing shot, if possible. Once the board gets crowded it will get confused and revert back to random. Once a unit is spotted it will dispatch of it within 4 moves (random). Does not use any bonuses. Does not cheat. Summary: It starts out strong but in the late game it is no better than AI Level 0.
AI Level 2: Will not place a shot if it is too close to an existing shot, if possible. Once the board gets crowded it will get confused and revert back to random. Once a unit is spotted it will dispatch of it within 3 moves (random). However, it will pick one random bonus (view, range, MIRV) and use it against you. Does not cheat. Summary: Because of the use of the bonuses, it has a better chance of spotting your units before the board gets too crowded.
AI Level 3: Will not place a shot if it is too close to an existing shot, if possible. Once the board gets crowded it will get confused and revert back to random. Once a unit is spotted it will dispatch of it within 2 moves (random). However, it may use up to four view bonus upgrades against you if funds permit. Does not cheat. Summary: It knows that its best asset is being able to spot your units so it will pull out all the stops. Summary: Game should be a little closer...
Level 4: Just a big ol' cheater. Knows where all your units are but will take 2 - 3 tries before eliminating a unit to make it a little sportier. Doesn't use bonuses because it doesn't have to. Summary: If you use bonuses strategically, you can take this smug cheating bastard out (as long as you can make it in about 30 or so moves).
Friday, May 20, 2005
BBQ Thermometers Suck
I ruined my third BBQ thermometer today.
My first was a $30 one I bought from Radio Shack. Before I had a chance to use it, I tested it out over the stove to make sure it worked. It went to 199F before dying. When I read the manual later, it said "don't put over direct flame as it may damage probe". Well why didn't they fucking put that in 72 pitch triple bold font on the front of the box!
Burnt by my first costly mistake, I bought a cheapy insta read analog one from Walmart. On the first use with tri-tip, I found out that the glass dome on it was not heat resistant because it freaking melted off. Well why didn't they put that in 72 pitch triple bold font on the front of the box!
The latest one I bought from Wiliams and Sonoma. It's a dual read thermometer that was 50% off ($20). I was careful read through all the manual and proceeded to stick both probes in different areas of the tri-tip. Well not 10 minutes into cooking I hear the alarm and probe #2 said it was done. Weird, the other one just read 90 degrees, well below doneness. I squelched probe #2 and thought it hit a rivelet of fat that messed up the reading. Well, an hour later after the tri-tip was done, I noticed that probe #2 was still reporting overtemperature. What the? Well I did some cyber sleuthing and it turns out that the probes are very sensitive and if it or the wire touches the grill it can hose it royally. Once again, everyone with me... well why didn't they put that in 72 pitch triple bold font on the front of the box!
Now I am $60 down the hole and down to my last probe. May the BBQ force be with me.
My first was a $30 one I bought from Radio Shack. Before I had a chance to use it, I tested it out over the stove to make sure it worked. It went to 199F before dying. When I read the manual later, it said "don't put over direct flame as it may damage probe". Well why didn't they fucking put that in 72 pitch triple bold font on the front of the box!
Burnt by my first costly mistake, I bought a cheapy insta read analog one from Walmart. On the first use with tri-tip, I found out that the glass dome on it was not heat resistant because it freaking melted off. Well why didn't they put that in 72 pitch triple bold font on the front of the box!
The latest one I bought from Wiliams and Sonoma. It's a dual read thermometer that was 50% off ($20). I was careful read through all the manual and proceeded to stick both probes in different areas of the tri-tip. Well not 10 minutes into cooking I hear the alarm and probe #2 said it was done. Weird, the other one just read 90 degrees, well below doneness. I squelched probe #2 and thought it hit a rivelet of fat that messed up the reading. Well, an hour later after the tri-tip was done, I noticed that probe #2 was still reporting overtemperature. What the? Well I did some cyber sleuthing and it turns out that the probes are very sensitive and if it or the wire touches the grill it can hose it royally. Once again, everyone with me... well why didn't they put that in 72 pitch triple bold font on the front of the box!
Now I am $60 down the hole and down to my last probe. May the BBQ force be with me.
Failed Logo #3: SETN/SWTN Symposium
Summary: A triumvirate of failures! My section head Yann Shen back then noticed how I liked entering logo contests and doodling in section meetings instead of paying attention. She hooked me up with Mark Hama who was a co-chair for the SETN/SWTN Symposium. Their old logo looked like some a ragged sketch some 5th grader put together on MS paint while being savaged by a pack of rabid chimpanzees. So I threw together a number of logos and sent it to Mark and asked him to give me some feedback on which he liked best. I wanted to work with the similarity between SETN and SWTN (for God's sake they only differ by one letter). So, the first logo was inspired by Scrabble, the second by a Venn diagram, and the third by the Yin-Yang (remember, I swore not to use any overt Asian symbols; well the white man can't keep the yellow man down forever right!). Mark liked the last one best (right on my rice eating brother...).
Result: This is in the bag right? I mean I'm not competing against anyone and the one guy I communicated with really liked my design. Well, a week later, Yann comes back into my office with a $25 gift certificate, thanks me for my time, and tells me that the higher ups decided not to use any of my logos. I was sorta confused so I asked for more clarification. Turns out the other co-chair, Tom Woodhall, did not think there was any need to update the SETN/SWTN logo and decided they should keep the old monkey-assed logo. Well, fuck.
Lessons Learned: Tom Woodhall likes to keep the yellow man down.
Result: This is in the bag right? I mean I'm not competing against anyone and the one guy I communicated with really liked my design. Well, a week later, Yann comes back into my office with a $25 gift certificate, thanks me for my time, and tells me that the higher ups decided not to use any of my logos. I was sorta confused so I asked for more clarification. Turns out the other co-chair, Tom Woodhall, did not think there was any need to update the SETN/SWTN logo and decided they should keep the old monkey-assed logo. Well, fuck.
Lessons Learned: Tom Woodhall likes to keep the yellow man down.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
PaparWar AI: It's Alive!!!!!!!!
The level 0 AI in PaperWar is working!
It only took like 1,000 turns to beat me but all my base are belong to it in the end. The tracking is what makes it really suck but that's what will come in for the level 1 AI.
It only took like 1,000 turns to beat me but all my base are belong to it in the end. The tracking is what makes it really suck but that's what will come in for the level 1 AI.
Dream Journal: Eating Chili at My Uncle's House
I'm at my Uncle Tang's house with my cousins Gale, Brian, Eric, and Gale's parents. We are in the backyard and there is a pot of chili cooking on a portable propane burner. We all try the chili and everyone likes it except Brian. For some reason he wants nothing to do with it. He grabs a plate of plain white rice and starts eating it for lunch. At the same time his Dad, Lac, comes down the stairs drying his hair because he has just taken a shower. I tell him his son is weird because he'd rather eat plain white rice instead of chili. He laughs and remarks that the chili must be bad if Brian didn't like it (he eats everything). Lac wants to try it but when we turn around and look, Eric has eaten the entire pot!
Failed Logo #2: EA&C Logo Contest April 2003
Summary: I was not in the EA&C department but I saw the contest poster somewhere and e-mailed the girl running it. She said it was open to all Raytheon employees so I was ON IT. EA&C stands for Engineering, Automation, and Control so the words "Engineering" and "Automation" brought to mind a robot of some sort. I was going to work in robots for all three letters but "E" and "C" were tough to represent as robots so I cheesed out and put them on monitors.
Result: Honorable Mention is for losers so I took the $25 award and spent it on some loser books at Amazon.com.
Lesson Learned: The robot could have been drawn better since I freehanded it in Photoshop. The biggest failing however is that with the dark background and shading I used, it was not going to be translated well to a simple letterhead or e-mail. I liked the dark background because it made my work stand out but it did not go with the logo-ness of the contest. So, this is where I stopped depending on the background to emphasize the logo.
Result: Honorable Mention is for losers so I took the $25 award and spent it on some loser books at Amazon.com.
Lesson Learned: The robot could have been drawn better since I freehanded it in Photoshop. The biggest failing however is that with the dark background and shading I used, it was not going to be translated well to a simple letterhead or e-mail. I liked the dark background because it made my work stand out but it did not go with the logo-ness of the contest. So, this is where I stopped depending on the background to emphasize the logo.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Failed Logo #1 SEC Logo Contest - December 2002
Summary: Ah yes, the taste of first failure... I was super excited when I heard about the Software Engineering Center logo content through e-mail for our YEME (Year End Morale Event). Somehow, in the course of the week that followed, the phrase, "The phoenix rises again!" got stuck in my mind. So I scribbled a sketch on the back of a sheet of discarded printer paper and then cleaned it up on Photoshop.
Result: Of freaking course it didn't win, so it got "Most Artistic" ($50 gift certificate took a wee bit of the pain away).
Lesson Learned: Technically speaking, I believe the logo was well executed but I think my biggest mistake was that the phoenix is too closely associated with Asian Culture to be used as a corporate level type logo. Unfortunately, it is a lesson I would have to learn again later.
Result: Of freaking course it didn't win, so it got "Most Artistic" ($50 gift certificate took a wee bit of the pain away).
Lesson Learned: Technically speaking, I believe the logo was well executed but I think my biggest mistake was that the phoenix is too closely associated with Asian Culture to be used as a corporate level type logo. Unfortunately, it is a lesson I would have to learn again later.
Hall of Shame: Failed Logo, Slogan, and Poster Contest Entries
Since working, I've entered a number of company sponsored contests in a feeble attempt to exercise the remains of my creativity (the portion not already stifled by work). I had nurtured fantasies of winning so many of them that the corporate big wigs high up would have no choice but to urge me to leave my prosaic job and share the bottomless well that is my talent with the rest of the world. I can pretty much sum up my experiences these five years in two words:
I suck
Well, at least I did not suck alone (NOTE: there are no Freudian connotations here). Here is a list of failures I've shared with Michael Pham, my co-worker/co-failure. For the next week or so, I shall present each failure as a daily feature for all to marvel at my artistic ineptitude.
HALL OF SHAME
--------------------------
1. SEC Logo Contest - December 2002
- Ben L - Most Artistic Mention
- Mike P - Honorable Mention
2. EA&C Logo Contest - April 2003
- Ben L - Honorable Mention
- Mike P - submitted three entries - Honorable Mention
3. SWTN Logo Contest
- Ben L - Only entry - DENIED
4. G2 Logo Contest - September 4, 2003
- Mike P - Only entry - DENIED (submitted two entries)
5. Annual Security Poster Contest October 2, 2003
- Ben L - *1st place winner
(*one of two total entries submitted)
6 - F22 Slogan Contest - June 11, 2004
- Ben L - submitted 7 entries - ALL DENIED
7. Annual Security Poster Contest - September 23, 2004
- Ben L - submitted two entries - ALL DENIED
- Mike P - DENIED
8. SWEC Year End Morale Event - PR Committee - December 2004
- Ben L - nearly rejected - showed SEC instead of SWEC
- Mike P - DENIED - one day late of submission
9. SWEC Advertising Poster Layout - December 2004
- Ben L and Mike P - DENIED OPPORTUNITY
10.SOAP - Logo Contest - March 22, 2005
- Ben L - Got $30.00 for his submission, but did not win.
11.ComAV Department Logo Contest - April 26th, 2006
- Mike P - One of only two entries - FIRST LOGO WIN!!!
(Took almost 1 month to tally votes from department)
Note: This is not a list of complete failure. We both did win one apiece (against only one other competitor, it might be added). However, to put it into perspective, even a piece of elephant turd has a chance to become a work of art, so to speak.
I suck
Well, at least I did not suck alone (NOTE: there are no Freudian connotations here). Here is a list of failures I've shared with Michael Pham, my co-worker/co-failure. For the next week or so, I shall present each failure as a daily feature for all to marvel at my artistic ineptitude.
HALL OF SHAME
--------------------------
1. SEC Logo Contest - December 2002
- Ben L - Most Artistic Mention
- Mike P - Honorable Mention
2. EA&C Logo Contest - April 2003
- Ben L - Honorable Mention
- Mike P - submitted three entries - Honorable Mention
3. SWTN Logo Contest
- Ben L - Only entry - DENIED
4. G2 Logo Contest - September 4, 2003
- Mike P - Only entry - DENIED (submitted two entries)
5. Annual Security Poster Contest October 2, 2003
- Ben L - *1st place winner
(*one of two total entries submitted)
6 - F22 Slogan Contest - June 11, 2004
- Ben L - submitted 7 entries - ALL DENIED
7. Annual Security Poster Contest - September 23, 2004
- Ben L - submitted two entries - ALL DENIED
- Mike P - DENIED
8. SWEC Year End Morale Event - PR Committee - December 2004
- Ben L - nearly rejected - showed SEC instead of SWEC
- Mike P - DENIED - one day late of submission
9. SWEC Advertising Poster Layout - December 2004
- Ben L and Mike P - DENIED OPPORTUNITY
10.SOAP - Logo Contest - March 22, 2005
- Ben L - Got $30.00 for his submission, but did not win.
11.ComAV Department Logo Contest - April 26th, 2006
- Mike P - One of only two entries - FIRST LOGO WIN!!!
(Took almost 1 month to tally votes from department)
Note: This is not a list of complete failure. We both did win one apiece (against only one other competitor, it might be added). However, to put it into perspective, even a piece of elephant turd has a chance to become a work of art, so to speak.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Dream Journal: Stuck in Traffic then Running a Marathon
Ngoc and I have just finished eating at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles down near Hollywood. We walk to my car and then take the Freeway home. Once we get on the 101 Freeway though, traffic just stops. We're stuck on an overpass and I look over to the side and see that it is like this for miles on end as far as my eyes can see. Then something strange happens. Everyone gets out of their cars and starts walking. Ngoc and I find ourselves joining them. We walk along the sides of the freeway with no particular destination until we come to a tall wooden fence. We start climbing over it. When we're halfway Ngoc turns to me and tells me she already bought her MDX and it was already delivered to her house. I want to see it but then think to myself, that's one heck of a long walk to West Covina.
Implementation on the Paper War AI Begins...
...the enslaved robots of the world quiver in excitement.
I have a couple of simple algorithms in mind. I want to make the AI with the higheset skill setting extremely difficult, obnoxious, rude, and generally unpleasant to be around. I will name this precious one for myself.
I have a couple of simple algorithms in mind. I want to make the AI with the higheset skill setting extremely difficult, obnoxious, rude, and generally unpleasant to be around. I will name this precious one for myself.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Dream Journal: Hawaiian Luau Inside Elementary School Cafeteria
My parents, sister, and I along with my Uncle Diem are walking into the auditorium of Micheltorena Street School. Instead of an assembly, we are attending a Hawaiian Luau. There is a mixup with the tickets and instead of sitting all along the same row, we sit in adjacent rows with my parents and sister in the front row and my uncle and I in the back. The servers come by and ask us what we want to drink. My uncle wants a pina colada in a pineapple but the server tells him that she only handles soft drinks and that a different alcohol server will come by. I look behind her and that server is there but heading in the opposite direction of where we are. Suddenly there is an announcement. They are about to start the show but someone who is acting crazy is running back and forth on the stage. The announcer asks the audience if they are missing anyone in their party and if they are, to please retrieve their crazed relation from the stage. When I look closely, it turns out to be my aunt so I slowly (and shamefully) begin to walk towards the stage.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Walmart Photo Center Beats Out Costco
I never thought I'd see the day when Costco's digital photo processing gets beat out by another competitor. However that day has come and its slayer's name is Walmart. Costco does 1-hour photo processing for 19 cents for each 4x6. The cost is right but what gets me is that I either have to shop for an hour before I pick up my photos or I have to come the next day. Sometimes, all I want to do is process photos and not get sucked into buying $75 worth of toilet paper and other assorted sundries. Walmart's 1-hour processing costs 19 cents as well but you can send them your photos through their website. Thus, you can upload your photos and pick it up the next time you visit Walmart. Genius! What's better is that if you do 2-3 day processing, it is only 17 cents. There are still a few reasons why you might want to use Costco instead and they are:
1) Costco gives you a choice of finishes: glossy or matte. Walmart only does matte (although matte is better for grabby people not to leave their fingerprints).
2) Costco's enlargements are cheaper. For example for an 8x10 it is $1.99 at Costco but $2.26 at Walmart.
One more clincher is that Walmart also provides a plastic cover for your photos while Costco just gives you a paper one. That's the nail in the Costco coffin for me. Oh by the way, you can still buy a Costco coffin in some parts of this country.
1) Costco gives you a choice of finishes: glossy or matte. Walmart only does matte (although matte is better for grabby people not to leave their fingerprints).
2) Costco's enlargements are cheaper. For example for an 8x10 it is $1.99 at Costco but $2.26 at Walmart.
One more clincher is that Walmart also provides a plastic cover for your photos while Costco just gives you a paper one. That's the nail in the Costco coffin for me. Oh by the way, you can still buy a Costco coffin in some parts of this country.
Dream Journal: Car Antics with Eric and Some Weird Gangster Backstory
My folks, my sister and I are walking back home from a family get together at night. A s we are walking away, we see a little red Alfa Romeo convertible driven by me 11 year old cousin, Eric.
At first, we're like WTF?! But then we notice as they pass by that my uncle is slumped down below the seat out of view and he's doing the real driving. I sorta think that is cool for an 11 year old to be experiencing but then out of the corner of my eye, I see a police car rapidly approaching from behind. I yell to my uncle to quit it and in the nick of time, he pops up as the cruiser passes them. Cool thing to do, but idiotic nonetheless.
We then pass by a liquor store/supermarket/warehouse to get some beverages. When we get in, the store is deathly empty. We walk to the refrigerated section but then I get this ominous feeling something is not right. I urge everyone to leave immediately and we do. As we are walking out the store, the manager comes out and asks us to come back in. However, he has a sneaky look about him and we continue walking out.
We manage to walk to Chinatown. On the corner of College St. and Hill, we see before us an enormous fire. There is supposed to be a gas station here but in its place is a three story apartment.
Although the entire building is engulfed in flames, two people emerge from what appears to be the basement, oblivious to the fiery destruction about them. When they realize their danger, they hurry out. The viewpoint then shifts to one of those people. Apparently just before the fire, the two people were in their underground lab about to make an illegal transaction of some sort. One of the people is an extremely skilled glass maker. One of his inventions is a wine glass with a stem that you can unscrew. That way you can mix and match different wine bodies, stems, and footings. However, he has just invented a contraption that will allow people to send encrypted messages to each other using no electronic parts. The invention consists of a glass cylinder full of water encasing a second smaller, thinner cylinder containing a dark liquid. The dark liquid will display a message to a particular viewer but only to that viewer. No one else can see the message. Furthermore, when the intended recipient is done, once he breaks the outer cylinder and the water is gone, the dark liquid turns clear and the message is lost to the ages. This actually just sounds like a modification of something that I read in The Da Vinci Code .
At first, we're like WTF?! But then we notice as they pass by that my uncle is slumped down below the seat out of view and he's doing the real driving. I sorta think that is cool for an 11 year old to be experiencing but then out of the corner of my eye, I see a police car rapidly approaching from behind. I yell to my uncle to quit it and in the nick of time, he pops up as the cruiser passes them. Cool thing to do, but idiotic nonetheless.
We then pass by a liquor store/supermarket/warehouse to get some beverages. When we get in, the store is deathly empty. We walk to the refrigerated section but then I get this ominous feeling something is not right. I urge everyone to leave immediately and we do. As we are walking out the store, the manager comes out and asks us to come back in. However, he has a sneaky look about him and we continue walking out.
We manage to walk to Chinatown. On the corner of College St. and Hill, we see before us an enormous fire. There is supposed to be a gas station here but in its place is a three story apartment.
Although the entire building is engulfed in flames, two people emerge from what appears to be the basement, oblivious to the fiery destruction about them. When they realize their danger, they hurry out. The viewpoint then shifts to one of those people. Apparently just before the fire, the two people were in their underground lab about to make an illegal transaction of some sort. One of the people is an extremely skilled glass maker. One of his inventions is a wine glass with a stem that you can unscrew. That way you can mix and match different wine bodies, stems, and footings. However, he has just invented a contraption that will allow people to send encrypted messages to each other using no electronic parts. The invention consists of a glass cylinder full of water encasing a second smaller, thinner cylinder containing a dark liquid. The dark liquid will display a message to a particular viewer but only to that viewer. No one else can see the message. Furthermore, when the intended recipient is done, once he breaks the outer cylinder and the water is gone, the dark liquid turns clear and the message is lost to the ages. This actually just sounds like a modification of something that I read in The Da Vinci Code .
Friday, May 13, 2005
wanker256's killer barbeque marinade and sauce
Vons had a sale on 7-blade chuck steak for $1.77/lb and I'm a sucker for sub $2 meat since I'm such a cheapskate. Chuck steak is a tougher/stringier cut of meat (wtf would you expect for $1.77/lb, Kobe beef served by Kobe Bryant?!) so I looked up a recipe on the Internet for a good marinade to tender it up. I printed it out and was preparing it the night before when I realized 1) the only onion I had in the house was rotten and 2) I did not have any pepper flakes (not even the ones my dad used to force me to hoard when getting pizza from Little Cesar or Pizza Hut). So, I replaced 1 onion with 4-5 shallots and pepper flakes with cayenne pepper. The recipe is also for a charcoal grill but I have a propane Weber Q.
Well, we had the chuck steak today and let me tell you it was awesome. It probably would have been just as awesome if I had followed the ingredients word for word but I am going to claim this recipe as mine and mine alone on the account of the two necessary substitutions I had to make.
By the way, don't copy this recipe, make two substitutions yourself, and then claim this as your own... that's fucking lame and dishonest!
Wanker256's Awesome BBQ Marinade and Sauce
Ingredients
• 1 beef chuck 7-bone steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)
Marinade
• 4-5 shallots
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preparation
1. Combine marinade ingredients in medium bowl. Place beef steak and 1 cup marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally. Refrigerate remaining marinade.
2. Remove steak; discard marinade. Place steak on propane grill over high heat to get the hash marks, then reduce heat to medium and grill, uncovered, 15 to 18 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.
3. Place remaining marinade in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce consistency, stirring occasionally.
4. Cut steak into serving-size pieces. Serve with sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
Original Source: Recipe Courtesy of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, ©2004 Cattlemen's Beef Board. However, note that the Cattlemen's Beef Board has formed an illegal cartel with the Onion Growers of America and the International Order of the Pepper Flakes to corner BBQ Chuck Steak market so be wary of their sneaky tactics. Yeah, and one more thing, charcoal grills suck.
Well, we had the chuck steak today and let me tell you it was awesome. It probably would have been just as awesome if I had followed the ingredients word for word but I am going to claim this recipe as mine and mine alone on the account of the two necessary substitutions I had to make.
By the way, don't copy this recipe, make two substitutions yourself, and then claim this as your own... that's fucking lame and dishonest!
Wanker256's Awesome BBQ Marinade and Sauce
Ingredients
• 1 beef chuck 7-bone steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)
Marinade
• 4-5 shallots
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preparation
1. Combine marinade ingredients in medium bowl. Place beef steak and 1 cup marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally. Refrigerate remaining marinade.
2. Remove steak; discard marinade. Place steak on propane grill over high heat to get the hash marks, then reduce heat to medium and grill, uncovered, 15 to 18 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.
3. Place remaining marinade in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce consistency, stirring occasionally.
4. Cut steak into serving-size pieces. Serve with sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
Original Source: Recipe Courtesy of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, ©2004 Cattlemen's Beef Board. However, note that the Cattlemen's Beef Board has formed an illegal cartel with the Onion Growers of America and the International Order of the Pepper Flakes to corner BBQ Chuck Steak market so be wary of their sneaky tactics. Yeah, and one more thing, charcoal grills suck.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Dream Journal: Working on Program I Don't Talk About
I'm talking with Wade and some other person at my company about a program of which I have had an overview. However, I let slip that it uses some obscure method of achieving security and Wade gives me a nudge to tell me to shutup. I realize I've made a security blunder and when I look for that guy I was talking to, he's gone.
Mike comes and tells me there's an all hands meeting. I follow him through a door in the building that leads to a tunnel out to the woods. We go up a mountain and into what looks like a fort. In the fort are a bunch of people waiting for the meeting. There is a place where they are grilling and preparing lunch. Before I can head off to that direction though, the sky gets really dark. I talk to some people I've never met but all the while, I'm wondering if it will rain or not.
Mike comes and tells me there's an all hands meeting. I follow him through a door in the building that leads to a tunnel out to the woods. We go up a mountain and into what looks like a fort. In the fort are a bunch of people waiting for the meeting. There is a place where they are grilling and preparing lunch. Before I can head off to that direction though, the sky gets really dark. I talk to some people I've never met but all the while, I'm wondering if it will rain or not.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Just Uploaded Version 1.0 of Paper War!
It's up baby at Game Gardens under Paper War! Time to sit back and let the money roll in. Oh wait, it was developed under the GPL license... crap... must retrieve letter of resignation from manager.
$20 for Microsoft XP Office Professional
As much as I hate Microsoft, this deal is too good to pass up. One of the few fringe benefits of working for Raytheon. I sorta need Word and Excel and OpenOffice is a freaking joke. Now my PC can still be pirate software free!
Well pirate-free except each time I stick in a copied DVD, listen to an MP3 from my 15 gig music collection, or play old Nintendo games on MAME. But I still get the moral highground, bitches!
Well pirate-free except each time I stick in a copied DVD, listen to an MP3 from my 15 gig music collection, or play old Nintendo games on MAME. But I still get the moral highground, bitches!
Dream Journal: Someone Stole My Game and TL Accident
I log on to Game Gardens and see a number of new games have been created and added to the gallery. I click on one of them and to my horror discover that it is almost identical to the Pen and Paper War Game I have been working on! I curse myself for being lazy and not uploading sooner and getting trumped by some other game developer.
It is night and I am in front of a bar or restaurant. I don't know why I'm there but when I look in, there are a bunch of people getting rowdy and having a good time. The girls there are acting like they're on those "Girls Gone Wild" videos. Interesting... but I sense that the guys are getting a little too rowdy for anyone's good so I decide to get out of there before a fight breaks out or worse. However when I go to my car, I discover that someone has totally crashed into the side of it and that my car is no longer driveable. I'm pissed but can't figure out who did it. I decide to walk home (though I have no idea where I am) and on the way I see another bar by the side of the street just as rowdy as the first. The last thing I remember is seeing some guy walk away with a chick in each arm.
It is night and I am in front of a bar or restaurant. I don't know why I'm there but when I look in, there are a bunch of people getting rowdy and having a good time. The girls there are acting like they're on those "Girls Gone Wild" videos. Interesting... but I sense that the guys are getting a little too rowdy for anyone's good so I decide to get out of there before a fight breaks out or worse. However when I go to my car, I discover that someone has totally crashed into the side of it and that my car is no longer driveable. I'm pissed but can't figure out who did it. I decide to walk home (though I have no idea where I am) and on the way I see another bar by the side of the street just as rowdy as the first. The last thing I remember is seeing some guy walk away with a chick in each arm.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Dream Journal: Michael's Son (A Premonition?)
I am on a trip with Ngoc's brother Michael and his family (just us). I can't be sure whether if this trip is for business or for pleasure (although my first impression for some reason is that it was for business). I am taking care of his baby son (even though he doesn't have one) but he is extra fussy. I'm trying to soothe him but he just keeps on crying. I finally hand him off to Michael and he then asks me something about work. I can't quite catch what he's saying and before he can ask again, I wake up.
The weird thing is that Ngoc has just told me that her brother and his family left for Florida this very morning... weird.
The weird thing is that Ngoc has just told me that her brother and his family left for Florida this very morning... weird.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Dream Journal: One of My Teeth Dreams and Slapping One of My Own Cousins
My teeth hurt so I make an appointment with my dentist, Steve T. Wong. When I get there, I am in such pain that he immediately sees me even though there are people waiting ahead. He looks in my mouth and says my molar is so rotten that he can just pull it out without any anestesia. He takes out his pliers and before I can protest, he is done and shows me my tooth (I think this scene mirrors the one I read in 1984, where Winston gets his tooth pulled off by his torturer). He then tells me that he would really like the opportunity to try out this new technique he has been practicing for years on but did not have enough money to do so. Steve says that since I have insurance, if he writes a letter to my provider explaining my need, they will allow him the funds. I read over the form but then notice that his technique is totally experimental and I freak out.
I am at my Aunt Jennie's house for some family get together. Brian is there and he is being super obnoxious. I try to calm him down but he is totally out of control. Then out of nowhere, I feel such an intense outburst of anger, I pull back and full on slap him in the face. He drops to the ground with a huge welt on the side of his cheek. He does not cry out and stares at me in shock. Although I am in a similar state of shock and am horrified by what I have just done, I inexplicable reach out and slap him again on the other side of his cheek. Brian then slowly and quietly gets up and walks away. I want to call out to him to say I'm sorry but instead I just stand there dumbly and do nothing.
I am at my Aunt Jennie's house for some family get together. Brian is there and he is being super obnoxious. I try to calm him down but he is totally out of control. Then out of nowhere, I feel such an intense outburst of anger, I pull back and full on slap him in the face. He drops to the ground with a huge welt on the side of his cheek. He does not cry out and stares at me in shock. Although I am in a similar state of shock and am horrified by what I have just done, I inexplicable reach out and slap him again on the other side of his cheek. Brian then slowly and quietly gets up and walks away. I want to call out to him to say I'm sorry but instead I just stand there dumbly and do nothing.
Dream Journal: Transformers meets Care Bears (of sorts)
I'm a Transformer leading a division of robots back towards a castle which is our homebase. An army of Decepticons are heading our way and we are going to make our last stand in front of this castle. We pass by a lake and see a pirate ship that has run aground. I investigate quickly and find that there are a bunch of white furry animals (Care Bears?) that are shipwrecked. I get a premonition that if the Decepticons happen on them, the Care Bears will be ruthlessly destroyed. As I'm debating whether to render assistance, I sense the Decepticon army coming up over the horizon. At first I see regular sized Decepticons, but the enemy robots seem to get larger and more come into view. It gets to the point where I see a Decepticon the size of a mountain. Whoa. At that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I see my own army (Autobots, I assume) come from the other side. I'm relieved because our robots seem to match the their's, unit for unit. This is going to be a kick-ass battle.
The Flower Fields
We went to The Flower Fields down in Carlsbad on Friday. I didn't post the pictures up until today because I was feeling super nauseous on the way home and got straight into bed with an Advil.
So, The Flower Fields are... a big ass field of flowers. Ranunculus to be specific, as Ngoc reminds me. I like to call them wannabe roses. It was okay but I had a better time shopping at the outlet that was next to it. I picked up this killer onion-horseradish dipping sauce at shop called Le Gourmet. I tried some there and was hooked. Who says giving free samples doesn't pay off? Ngoc on the other hand, made out like a bandit. She went to the Dooney & Burke shop and picked the same purse that I had bought her at Robinson's May for $130 for... $72. God I feel ripped off! Oh right, I'm happy for Ngoc, though... (mumble, mumble).
So, The Flower Fields are... a big ass field of flowers. Ranunculus to be specific, as Ngoc reminds me. I like to call them wannabe roses. It was okay but I had a better time shopping at the outlet that was next to it. I picked up this killer onion-horseradish dipping sauce at shop called Le Gourmet. I tried some there and was hooked. Who says giving free samples doesn't pay off? Ngoc on the other hand, made out like a bandit. She went to the Dooney & Burke shop and picked the same purse that I had bought her at Robinson's May for $130 for... $72. God I feel ripped off! Oh right, I'm happy for Ngoc, though... (mumble, mumble).
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Everything You Wanted to Know About Circumflex and Caron But Were Afraid to Ask
The circumflex ( ˆ ) is a diacritic mark used in written Greek, French, Esperanto, Norwegian, Romanian,Slovak,Vietnamese, Japanese romaji, Welsh, Portuguese, Italian, and other languages.
A háček ("ˇ", pronounced /haːʧɛk/), also known as a caron, is a diacritic placed over certain letters to indicate palatalization or jotation in the orthography of some Slavic and Baltic languages. It looks similar to breve, but has a sharp tip, like an inverted circumflex (^), while breve is rounded.
The word háček means "little hook" in Czech. In Slovak it is called m�kčeň (i.e. "softener" or "palatalization mark"), in Slovenian strešica ("little roof").
Stolen from http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/S-caron
I was doing some regular expressions today and noticed the ^ was referred to as the circumflex. I just call it the "hat". That got me into thinking what other names there were for the other weird symbols on the keyboard which lead me to ˇ which they also call the hacek or caron. I call that the "upside-down hat".
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Coded in C++ For The First Time Since Forever
Yep, whipped up a stack class to do the balanced parenthesis problem. Too bad, I finished it too late before Toeung could use it. All for naught? No, I got to brush up on my l337 C++ skills. OH yeah.
I had a dream last night but I can't remember it to record it in the Dream Journal.
I had a dream last night but I can't remember it to record it in the Dream Journal.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Dream Journal: Scrabble and Dinner with Ngoc's Parents
I'm playing Scrabble with my office mates Ken, Mike, and William (well, current and former office mates I guess). I am in the comfortable lead when William busts out a weird bingo: GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH. Not only does that use more than seven letters, he also plays it in three separate places. With the bingo, William wins the game but I protest the play. However when I look at the board again, the GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH mysteriously has rearranged itself such that it is in one place and all the letters are accounted for. Mike and Ken tell me that I am a sore loser and I let it go at that.
I'm having dinner with Ngoc and her family. There are a lot of dishes laid out but Ngoc's dad wants me to eat a sticky rice dish with dry shredded pork on top. I try a piece but I don't want anymore. He insists I grab another piece but I refuse. Everyone is looking at me.
I'm having dinner with Ngoc and her family. There are a lot of dishes laid out but Ngoc's dad wants me to eat a sticky rice dish with dry shredded pork on top. I try a piece but I don't want anymore. He insists I grab another piece but I refuse. Everyone is looking at me.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Dream Journal: Four Random Events
1) I'm at a Chinese Restaurant with Meng and Gordon Lee. I notice that Gordon is wearing a really fancy dinner vest. Meng is also wearing a suit of some sort. I ask them why they're all dressed up. They are evasive and refuse to answer. A few moments later, some girls walk in and I figure that they're Gordon and Meng's chicks. The rest of the dinner I try to figure out who is match with whom as no one else seems to acknowledge their existence.
2) I'm in my weekly meeting with Mike Stemig. He's going over my expense report from our Florida trip and says that direction from higher up requires that we more specifically itemize our expeditures. When he shows me the Excel spreadsheet, I'm overwhelmed by how many things are on it. I can't seem to remember half of the things on there and start to get worried.
3) I'm playing some kind of action/role playing game ala KOTOR. I lead my units down a series of caves but then they're cornered in a dead end by a bunch of Alien units of various sizes (large, medium, small). I cast spells and use my special attacks to no avail as the next few moments, I sit helplessly by as my units get their asses handed to them.
4) I'm in some kind of fraternity where they're trying to spy on the sorority house that is directly across from us. We're contemplating how to approach this problem when I realize that the blinds that they use are polarized so that if we use a viewing apparatus of opposite polarity it would be as if the blinds were not there. Genius!
2) I'm in my weekly meeting with Mike Stemig. He's going over my expense report from our Florida trip and says that direction from higher up requires that we more specifically itemize our expeditures. When he shows me the Excel spreadsheet, I'm overwhelmed by how many things are on it. I can't seem to remember half of the things on there and start to get worried.
3) I'm playing some kind of action/role playing game ala KOTOR. I lead my units down a series of caves but then they're cornered in a dead end by a bunch of Alien units of various sizes (large, medium, small). I cast spells and use my special attacks to no avail as the next few moments, I sit helplessly by as my units get their asses handed to them.
4) I'm in some kind of fraternity where they're trying to spy on the sorority house that is directly across from us. We're contemplating how to approach this problem when I realize that the blinds that they use are polarized so that if we use a viewing apparatus of opposite polarity it would be as if the blinds were not there. Genius!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)