Now Reading

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

I finished reading Hyperion in less than a week and of course its a two-part novel for which I don't have the second part *slaps forehead* *sigh*. Moving on...

Creativity?

Go read this:
The most amazing book ever! [56k no] - The Something Awful Forums

Gaming

Ctrl+Alt+Del

The third panel is more of what I was thinking about - "And let not he who is without means, but has gaming in his heart, be ostracized. For it is the Heart of the Gamer where true faith lies." - The Holy Instruction Manual for The First Church of Gaming.

Now Reading...

Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I've been readins so many histories and biographies that I had almost forgotten the simple pleasure I get from reading a well written sci-fi! I started this book on Saturday and I'm almost 2/3 of the way through it. This book has been recommended to me as a "must-read" by meany friends and I never got around to it, but I can see now why it was such a big deal. There are elements of The Canterbury Tales in that a group of pilgrims each recounts their story to the group as they move to their final destination. (Obviously I'm skipping out major plot lines here but hey you should read it.) One of the stories almost got me choked up.

No More Black Holes? -- Berardelli 2007 (621): 1 -- ScienceNOW

No More Black Holes? -- Berardelli 2007 (621): 1 -- ScienceNOW: "If new calculations are correct, the universe just got even stranger. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, have constructed mathematical formulas that conclude black holes cannot exist. The findings--if correct--could revolutionize astrophysics and resolve a paradox that has perplexed physicists for 4 decades."

Rooting for the Home Team -- Zala 2007 (613): 3 -- ScienceNOW

Rooting for the Home Team -- Zala 2007 (613): 3 -- ScienceNOW: "Humans tend to treat relatives better than strangers--'blood is thicker than water,' as the axiom goes--and now it appears that plants play by the same rules. A new study provides the first evidence that flora can recognize its family and that plants treat kin better than outsiders."

Photographing Models

... only because this is a convinient place for me to post the link:

WeeToySoldiers.com » Color Gradient Background Files

Cursor Mechanics

1-click Award by 株式会社リクルートメディアコミュニケーションズ

Geek Trivia: Where no song has gone before

Geek Trivia: Where no song has gone before

Lyrics to Star Trek opening music - see the link for details.

Beyond
The rim of the star-light
My love
Is wand'ring in star-flight
I knowHe'll find in star-clustered reaches
Love,
Strange love a star woman teaches.
I know
His journey ends never
His star trek
Will go on forever.
But tell him
While he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.


Yuck.

Internets

I was reading an article about the effects of the Internet on the intelligence of the average American - the article noted that game shows these days in the US focus less on intelligence and more on dumb luck. It tried to make the argument that the easy availability of the internet has made viewers dumber. That's amusing because that's the same argument that was made about TV. I fail to see how a medium that allows the possibility of more readily accessing information in a multitude of view points makes people dumber. I conceed that you can't always control the quality of that information but it seems to me better than watching information spewed uncontrollably at you on TV. **shrug**

BBC NEWS | Health | Misery: the secret to happiness

BBC NEWS Health Misery: the secret to happiness: "The key to a happy relationship could be accepting that some miserable times are unavoidable, experts say.
Therapists from California State University and Virginia Tech University say accepting these problems is better than striving for perfection.
And they blame cultural fairytales and modern love stories for perpetuating the myth that enjoying a perfect relationship is possible. "