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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "amcathra" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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11:29 am
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An inconvenient discovery
Q: what's worse than losing a banana
A: Finding it in the bottom of your backpack a week later
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10:46 am
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funny webcomic
Funny tee hee rather than funny ha-ha, but I enjoyed it.
http://xkcd.com/575/
And no maths involved at all.
Current Mood:  amused
Tags: humour, parody, webcomic
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05:12 pm
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Shiny new computer
It's been a while since I posted here. I'm writing this on my shiny new computer, which appears to be superfast even with Vista compared to the more elderly PCs I am used to, despite being a budget PC. The numbers associated it are huge compared to the first computers I used back in the 80s, or even compared to the computers I use on my course.
The notebook I use normally blue screened when I was checking the TFT monitor on it, apparently due to a driver issue running both displays. It seems to be ok now, and I got the TFT monitor working with the new PC after some initial "no signal" worries.
I'm still considering putting XP pro on it so I can at least look at the backlog of games I have bought that wouldn't run acceptably on old machines or laptops. I suspect a number of them won't run on Vista.
Current Location: at home
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: whatevers on the radio
Tags: computers windows games
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07:17 pm
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Oíche Shamhna Shona Dhaoibh go Léir
A Happy All Hallows Eve to everyone.
Current Mood:  pensive
Tags: halloween
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05:41 pm
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A new boardgame, playing with logo
I bought a boardgame called Tomb recently, though i haven't had a chance to play it yet.
Anyway I did some editing of the logo to result in this:
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10:10 pm
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Old friends, 4e D&D
Another big gap since my last update. My internet service from Chorus/UPC has been spotty of late, apparently due to noise problems on the lines in my area. It's slowly improving.
I bumped into Raymond Looney recently, after not seeing him for a few years. He's still in contact with a lot of original WARPS members from back in the day, so was able to fill me on a lot of people I haven't seen in even more years. Maybe a "where are they now" section on one of the WARPS websites/ forums would be a good idea.
I was out at the marina in Blackrock for a walk this afternoon. It's a nice walk by the river - I've never been there before. Fortunately the weather was good and showers held off. Only bad spot was the atlantic pool, which was badly polluted, with lots of algae and visible bands of milky stains on the water. There were more ducks out of the water than in it.
Later on I bought the boxed set of the new 4th Edition D&D rules at Other Realms. Nice looking books, they will take some time for me to read through. I'm running the second session of the intro Keep on the Shadowfell tomorrow, which should be somewhat easier now I have the full rules.
Tags: cork, d&d, friends, warps
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07:45 pm
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bad habits
I hate smoking with the incandescent heat of a thousand suns
and I still have difficulty asking people not to smoke.
Fortunately it's less of a problem nowadays. Its still weird to walk into a pub and not need to wade though the smoky atmosphere gasping and wheezing.
Current Mood: pleased
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07:29 pm
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It's my birthday...
and I haven't posted for ages, Since then, I'm living in new (and better) accommodation, and a few other things have changed in my life.
Being lost for words hasn't though. Probably why I haven't posted since Aug last year.
Current Mood: content
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01:17 pm
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100 Hobby Games Meme
100 Hobby Games Meme
From ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mytholder who got it from </a></b></a>mylescorcoran...originating with Gregg Stolz
Boldface if "I own this game".
Italics is "I have played this game".
Italic and Bold are "I both own and have played this game"
( Read more... )
Own 20, played 44, maybe 46</span></p>
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07:12 pm
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SF/F Book Meme etc.
Meme copied from mytholder 's blog.
This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished, and underline the ones you loved.
1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
I've read most of these at one time or another, including the older stuff. Looking at them, the evidence points to me preferring pulp to literature, though I draw the line at Terry Brooks. Still, there's a good variety of stuff there. I've read 40 of the 50, and at least started most of the rest.
In other news, I had an exam today, an MCP multiple choice exam via computer, and passed it comfortably in the end, though as usual I worried about it far too much. Still, the worry motivated me to study hard over the past few days, which seems to have paid off. It was a great relief to have it passed and done with.
At the Fás course, we can leave as soon as we are finished on exam days, so I went into town and bought some cheap computer games to celebrate.
Current Mood: happy
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10:00 pm
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Gaelcon
I had a good time at Gaelcon this weekend despite the hike in all their prices this year.
I had trouble getting accomodation, but WARPS were kind enough to help me out. Thanks, WARPS.
The night before I headed up I noticed the backpack I was taking up had ripped slightly. I patched it up, but one of the straps ripped off on Sunday. Fortunately, I had another bag with me and was able to switch to that one.
I spent most of my time playing HeroClix, as I only get to play it at special events and cons nowadays.
more after the cut...
( Read more... )
Current Mood: grateful
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05:48 pm
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Hmmm
another silly quiz result behind the cut.
( Read more... )
Current Mood: geeky
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07:35 pm
[Link] | D&D nerd alert! This will mean nothing to the uninitiated...
EvilCorp Lives !!! here
Current Mood: nerdy
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06:08 pm
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Pluto demoted, now 8 planets in Solar System
Pluto has been demoted to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union's general assembly in Prague. This means the Solar System now has 8 planets, and loads of textbooks are now wrong and will have to be updated.
Three other objects have also been classified as dwarf planets.
Quoting from their site at http://www.iau2006.org/
"The IAU members gathered at the 2006 General Assembly agreed that a "planet" is defined as a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. "
"This means that the Solar System consists of eight "planets" Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A new distinct class of objects called "dwarf planets" was also decided. It was agreed that "planets" and "dwarf planets" are two distinct classes of objects. The first members of the "dwarf planet" category are Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313 (temporary name). More "dwarf planets" are expected to be announced by the IAU in the coming months and years. Currently a dozen candidate "dwarf planets" are listed on IAU's "dwarf planet" watchlist, which keeps changing as new objects are found and the physics of the existing candidates becomes better known."
While this is a reclassification rather than anything profound, it is still scientific history that will change the textbooks.
Current Mood: good
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05:40 pm
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Risk Assessment
This morning at my Fás course we had an interesting and scary presentation from a person whose name escapes me at the moment about road safety. He presented a number of alarming statistics about road casualties in Ireland and some of the reasons why the numbers are going up, not down.
Part of the reason for the statistics are failures in education and training. The training documents for learner drivers have not been updated for 11 years, and are way out of date.
The old killer was drink driving, which of course still goes on, but we were told is more the sin of the older generation. The major killer of young males 17-25 is IMO simply hormones. They believe they are immortal and the best drivers in the world, based on their willingness to take risks and survive after them. The percentages go catch up with people though, if they keep taking stupid risks.
I saw a documentary recently about people living on the San Andreas fault, and how they blot out the ongoing risk of the "Big One" hitting, transferring it to say a pronounced interest in disasters in a far-off country. Similarly they ignore the fire threat from vegetation that has evolved to benefit from occasional fires, and look for arsonists to blame when the fires do come. (something I have heard in other countries as well, thinking about it).
The same behavior apparently is seen in those living near active volcanoes and other intermittent, unpredictable dangers.
This ability to ignore disaster staring you in the face is mystifying to me, but then danger has always repelled me, and I hate horror movies.
Basically, people suck at understanding probabilities, including gambling and risk assessment. Training can help, but people have an amazing ability to ignore the inconvenient, both as individuals and as groups.
Current Mood: pensive
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05:18 pm
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Quotations meme
Which is to go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 which displays 10 random quotations and pick 5 of them.
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849), 'Eleanora,' 1842
Take away the miseries and you take away some folks' reason for living.
Toni Cade Bambara
Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.
Carol Burnett (1936 - )
I'm not going to die because I failed as someone else. I’m going to succeed as myself.
Margaret Cho, I'm The One That I Want, 1999
Complaining is good for you as long as you're not complaining to the person you're complaining about.
Lynn Johnston (1947 - ), For Better or For Worse, 11-06-03
Current Mood:  thirsty
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08:12 pm
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London visit comment
I am so glad that my visit to London was in July rather than last week. I flew to and from Heathrow and could easily have been one of the people queueuing in the rain.
A friend of mine was caught in Stanstead, but the flight was an early on and he was "only" four hours delayed.
The alert has dropped in status at this point, but whether travel from the UK ever goes back to "normal" remains to be seen.
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06:57 pm
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Retraining...
Last week I stated a Fás course in computer programming. Basically, this is to gain access to resources so that I can retrain myself in new technology, as my skills are out of date. And this part of the plan is fine, as the computers have the software I wanted to try out, MS Visual Studio.NET with Visual Basic.NET, Visual C#, some other stuff including Crystal Reports, and also Java (the sun version I think).
I never did a formal course in Object oriented programming, and while I can muddle through it, keep feeling I am missing the core idea. The hope is that I will eradicate these misgivings during the course.
A downside is that I have to sit through the teaching of elementary programming, something I did over 20 years ago (gulp, 24 years?!) (yawn). Still, a small price to pay for free access to the software, or so I try to tell myself. I have a load of notes from some other courses and saved online resources to keep myself busy if I get too bored.
Another downside is the 8.30 start, which I am still adjusting to. I was never a morning person per se, and am annoyingly waking up to early and then feeling tired all day. Still, plenty of time to adjust.
Also, they have disabled the internet in the lab - apparently it will be turned on half way through. All in all a good decision which eliminates the main source of distraction in IT, annoying though it may be to be without it for purely legitimate online study resources.
Current Mood: nostalgic
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06:30 pm
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My holiday in London
On holidays in London with my sister Evonne and her husband Luis. They have been kind and excellent hosts. Their house is a few minutes from a tube station, which makes travelling in London much easier.
It's hot in London, too hot for me. It's OK outside if you carry some water (I took a litre, and bought something at lunchtime as well), but in buildings without air conditioning it can be stifling, and the Tube at rush-hour is unbearable. I had to travel now though, as my course is starting at the end of the month.
On the bright side it does mean girls wear skimpier clothing :) I also saw a lot of women using folding fans, which make a lot of sense in the current London heat. Evonne had picked one up in Seville on one of her visits.
I have spent my hols here visiting museums, which are free. However, in this weather the more enclosed exhibitions are sweltering. Still, I had a good time and saw the Science Museum, Natural History Museum and the British Museum.
Friday night was an Ikea trip, where I sampled the Ikea cafe food and helped E&L with a wardrobe. Saturday morning was breakfast in Ealing, followed by a walk around Chiswick.
On Saturday evening Ashley and Hilary were most kind to provide me with a lift to and from the Reading Camarilla Requiem game, which was surprisingly eventful for a local game. It should keep me busy for a while Requiem-wise.
On Sunday Evonne, Luis and I went for a picnic in Windsor by the river. Afterwards I decided not to bother queueing for the castle once we saw the size of the queue, so we settled for a walk around, and relaxing in one of the parks..
During my visit I did some shopping for books on Charing Cross Road, but got less than on previous trips, both because of a smaller budget and the impression that there were less second-hand shops around. I know that Murder Inc lost it's SF and F section in their move to a smaller premises across the road.
Because I bought less books I bought the D&D PHB II at the Orc's Nest, mainly for the feats. It's out of my holiday budget, so that makes it OK :)
Looking forward to cooler weather in Cork, which isn't surprising given my aversion to the sun. Not that I haven't greatly enjoyed my visit, but I don't think I would ever acclimatise to this sort of heat.
Tom
Current Mood: satisfied
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08:42 pm
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Holidays soon
My sister Evonne in London is expecting and suggested I visit her before the new arrival takes away all her free time. So I am flying out for six days next week.
She and her husband Luis visited Ireland recently, making arrangements somewhat easier being face-to-face.
It's a while since I had a holiday and I am looking forward to it, though I will have to carefully watch the finances.
Before that there's Ubercon, the CIT convention that has arisen from the grave after a two-year(?) hiatus. If they can get their timetable set before the weekend, that is...
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