"No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

Washington - Reminder: Voter Ballots need to be postmarked today.

Referendum 71 is pro gay rights. It was already passed by the legislature and so anti-gay groups petitioned to get it on the ballot to get voters to reject it. (Confusing at first to see anti groups attempting to get on the ballot something they are against. I'm pro gay rights and was trying to figure out how Ref71 could possibly be anti.)
Context Referendum 71

Although the outcome of the vote is the current point of interest, I find
the signature disclosure debate Marcy brought up more interesting. Probably because my opinion is less clear cut. Basically a pro-gay group wants to post all the names of the petition signers on the internet. As I understand it, currently petition signatures are public domain, but generally most people wouldn't bother to look at them. 1

Unrelated, random: Scwarzenegger Context

Please notify me ASAP of any errors herein.

Tandem biking to Canada this weekend. W00t!

Expedia's currently offering a sweet deal on flights to mars

Gmail's new Autopilot can automatically handle email reply with the same standard of typos your friends have come to expect

Many of you may have noticed willworker's lj was hijacked recently.

I would strongly suggest you check what emails are able to take control of your account by visiting here.

What happened to willworker: At one point he used a hotmail account to authenticate lj. He switched to a different email for authentication and eventually abandoned the hotmail account altogether. Someone else claimed the hotmail account and used it to take control of willworker's lj and post links to a new 'blog' with malware?? willworker has his lj back now (sans 8 years of entries).

Further notes by news here.

The above links etc from talking to willworker.

Video of Music - Animated Imaginary Scorpi Instrument (mray sent me the link)

Boffing in Google Maps Pittsburgh

Phone's back. Same number as before. (Now with AT&T should that matter to anyone.)

Snow patterns here are so weird.

Seattle: Barely sticking
520: Lake WA to 405: Snow on the ground, cars traveling slowly and mostly sticking to a single lane
Get off 520 after 405: Suddenly no snow on the ground
My complex (Bridle Trails): I couldn't get my car to do anything more than move back and forth pathetically for quite a number of minutes after I had to stop for the gate. I couldn't get my car up the hill to where it belongs. Parked somewhere and walked home.

This would all probably be more interesting if you had a better sense of how really close together all of this is.

Anyway I recommend staying home if your driving near where I live. Or having a way better car. At least at crazy time o'clock there isn't any traffic.

Aim, Msn, Update, and Vista time synchronization weren't connecting even though I could browser connect to the internet just fine.

Upon closer inspection my computer had 2007 as the year. Manually changed to 2008 and everything works again.

Which leaves me the lingering question of how did my year get changed. Aim & msn were working for me yesterday and I certainly haven't fiddled with the year myself.

Odd.

Questionable Content -> Dinosaur Comic -> Xkcd -> repeat

*Warm fuzzy feeling*

& Google of course.

Date:	2008-01-09 21:51
Subject:	Kindle 1
Security:	Public
Mood:	Mischief

Writing Rules:

1. First person to include the word "madness" in their comment takes next control of the story.
   
   • Person A writes paragraph. Person B comments "I claim this madness". Person B writes the next paragraph in their journal.
2. As part of taking control you may add or modify one rule.
   
3. You may choose to write only one character's part of a dialog by commenting with "half-madness" (or quarter etc).
   
   • Person A writes paragraph. B comments "half-madness". C comments "half-madness." B and C each post half of the two person conversation. Person C allows no comments on their post and links to B's paragraph. Person D comments "madness" on B's paragraph. Person D writes paragraph. (Note that D could continue the story line before C posts or even comments))

Tais-Toi Mon Coeur by Dionysos
(Music video)

Date:	2007-11-14 14:23
Subject:	Who is in DC?
Security:	Public
Mood:	Yay talk being done
Music:	Yesterdays Airplane Book: Into Thin Air. Plane ride comfortable by comparison.

Flying back to Seattle tomorrow, Thursday, 6pm (EST leave DC) - 9pm (PST arrive). Having dinner with business partners tonight and then probably free from 8pm onwards? Tomorrow attending talks until noon and then might have some time in the afternoon depending on business.

Is there anyone I know in DC I should attempt to convince to kidnap me assuming I do actually get to leave the hotel? I should have posted this sooner - I didn't find out I was coming until Monday morning. I'm reachable by cell phone.

I hope things are well with all of you.

August 11, 2007. Sat. Dragontail Peak. [PicsB] [PicsR] [PicsM] 1 2

July 11, 2007. Wed. Red Mt near Snoqualmie Pass. [I Exist] [PicsJ]

June 23, 2007. Sat. Kaleetan Peak. [PicsM] [JnPics]

June 9, 2007. Baring Peak. [PicsF]

June 3, 2007. Sun. South Ingells Peak. [Ingells] 1

June 2, 2007. Sat. Bean & Earl. [My group]
May 12, 2007. Rock. Erie. [Scenery]
April 29, 2007. Sun. Cowboy. [Fun sliding down hills]
March 18, 2007. Heybrook Ridge. [Scenery]

“That should do it,” Muldoon said. “Standard elephant gets about two hundred cc’s, but they’re only two or three tons each. Tyrannosaurus rex is eight tons, and a lot meaner. That matters to the dose.”
“Why?”
“Animal dose is partly body weight and partly temperament. You shoot the same dose of 709 into an elephant, a hippo, and a rhino – you’ll immobilize the elephant, so it just stands there like a statue. You’ll slow down the hippo, so it gets kind of sleepy but it keeps moving. And the rhino will just get fighting mad. But, on the other hand, you chase a rhino for more than five minutes in a car and he’ll drop dead from adrenaline shock. Strange combination of tough and delicate.”
-- Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, Chapter Tyrannosaur, page 289-290

[XKCD].

[QueenOfWands] [Sluggy][IrregularWebcomic]
Off topic: [BiteMe]

[Barometer]. [HellExothermic] [] <-Just in case these missed you.

[Finite Simple Group of Order Two Song(Klein Four)] (2ndLink)(klein four)
[LongestPath (Daniel Barrett)]
[CodeMonkeySong](Jonathan Coulton)

Must run. Will finish this up later.
What else should I put here?

Edit: Content above morphed occasionally in response to comments and at will.

It's snowing!!!

Information came today...

I will be flying into and out of LAX:

August 16, 2005 - arrive 5pm
August 21, 2005 - depart 7pm

night of Aug 16 - Renaissance Hotel
nights of Aug 17-20 - Emily's in Culver City

I should have a Rental Car Aug 16-17 but not Aug 17-21.
(I'm not sure yet how long I'll have a car on the 17th.)
I should be in email contact Aug 17-21.

Just finished having a phone interview and I'll have another (in person) interview at 2pm today. After that I'll try and call people. If I fail and just end up packing more, if you're in the LA/Claremont area and would want to try and get together ... Please call(/email) me.

Sorry about short notice; things are a little strange over here.

Take care.

Sometimes bits of life are Hell.

So much bad with the good. So much good with the bad.

So much beauty and ugliness.

Honor and abandonment.

Love and hate.