How to make people backup their PC
Link: GraveWarning.jpg (JPEG Image, 800x539 pixels).
I think a couple of testimonals (with real ID) should help a lot more. And I haven't backed up for several months. And my motto is "face the reality, stupid".
Snap decision
Link: About Me | I'd Rather Be Writing.
I am quoting a line from Fraud introduced in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink introduced in Tom Johnson's blog.
When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature. (268)
I agree. Snap decisions (gut feeling) regarding big decisions do not lie. So what should be done is to write down (or create the first prototype) rapidly, then take time to refine it. What matters is the overall direction and it rarely fails as long as I listen to my body, not my brain.
Definition of Geeks
Link: 8 Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Geeks | Cracked.com.
The surprising fact for me is that Natalie Portman is listed here. Does graduating Harvard in non-computer science degree counts as "being Geek"? I was expecting somebody like Justin Long, who according to my fantasy, merely plays himself onscreen. If having a B.S. or B.A. from a respectable university counts as Geek in Hollywood term, then the urban legend that the movie industry is made up of school dropouts might (still) be a reality. Which is cool.
Come see the kittens
Link: The Kittens! » Dee’s Inbox.
Wonder what will happen in 10 minutes.
Name is important
Link: 6tbfxps.jpg (JPEG Image, 512x384 pixels).
Reminds me of the poor, naive, but sweet Gaylord Focker in the movie Meet the Parents.
Best Free Documentaries: The Truth About Female Desire
Link: Best Free Documentaries: The Truth About Female Desire.
I am going to watch this four-volume series out of curiosity mostly hoping that I can score better at catching my partners..
Recommended via Reddit
No smoking
The label fits perfectly into the tiles, and stares right at the toilet users. Direct, confronting, but not intimidating probably due to its size.
At 3rd floor toilet in Mister Donuts, YongKang street
And so it goes
...is a song from Billy Joel during his twilight later era - I guess it was from the 1989 album - yes, he was still in his last groove with the "We didn't start the fire".
All the great artists have their peaks - if the peak is relatively low they might prolong their life or even have another shot. Here, "Lower peak" doesn't mean the hill at our backyards - it means the highest mountain in the region but still lower than Mt.Everest....You still have somebody who can do better than you at what you are attempting to do.
The likes of Neil Young, Ramones, Kinks enjoyed (or enjoying) a very long lifespan. I guess the secret lies in the fact that none of them created a song that will last 100 years. Maybe their style and legacy will do. And that's the whole point, for example in Ramones' case.
The second tier groups are talented enough to create several classics almost everybody in a certain generation know, but are a dollar short to reach the pinnacle - they didn't write "the one" - perfect song in its own category.
The perfect song doesn't necessary need to be translatable into a classic music. Basket Case from Green Day won't convert nicely into a muzak for Sunday afternoons in a department store, but it is perfect. Fxxxxxx perfect.
Billy Joel did not write a perfect song, but several songs that are close - Uptown Girl - yes it is super-ultra-gigantically 80s but it is flawless - but not exactly a timeless. A dollar short, but I am not sure if it was a bless or curse for him.
On one hand he will never achieve the same status as Elton John, Rolling Stones, or Beatles. He could have. Who knew? How does it feel like not being able to transform into something noble, something divine, even though all the materials are there?
But because of his lukewarm ups and downs, fans and even himself could anticipate something exciting in the next project, for a very long time (not anymore, I guess). Isn't that a blessing? You have enough power to create a magic, and not everybody, even you, is expecting you to repeat the same tired routine because there is still some hope, a real one, that one day a miracle, instead of magic, will occur.
Generation gap
Going through the ritual Redditting, I stumbled upon this rant.
It is long, but I quote anyway. One of the greatest piece written about the have's and have-not's.
As 33 year old with a high IQ and no future, I just want to thank the baby boomers for totally and completely fucking over what could have been the greatest country ever. The whole time I was growing up no one ever said anything about oil. No one ever said anything about foreign manufacturing. No one ever said anything about non-linear population growth. No one ever said anything about Topsoil. No one ever said anything about illegal aliens. No one ever said anything about preparation for anything that might come our way. No, the sad truth is that the boomers grew up in unprecedented wealth and security and blissfully burned more oil, energy, topsoil and whatever else you can regretfully burn than any generation since the beginning of known history. These are the assholes who told us to “get good grades” and everything will be awesome. Guess what dad, no amount of straight A’s are going to help when the shit hits the fan. You just enjoy your retirement in the million dollar piece of shit house you own. And when the illegal aliens and poor white trash are tearing this country a new one in the next civil war, you just pat yourself on the back and tell yourself that you were a great parent.
I had a vague expectation that the United States stays generation-resentment free compared to my home country Japan (there is not even a resentment - the whole atmosphere has been degraded into an apathy, disillusioned state. You grow up resenting your over-suppressing dad hoping one day you'll get revenge. 20 years later you realize you dad is bed-ridden in a nurse home, playing the victim role 24 hours a day, and sucking up all the pensions, including your contribution, to the grave).
Living in Taiwan, I slowly started to realize this suppressed anger, this fundamental hopelessness, have been shared by everybody, regardless of their regions, maybe except for coastal China and India middle class.
So far I have welcomed this reality, which on the positive side forces one to be independent, but probably because I spent the bulk of my childhood in the 70s and 80s. I know what it means not to worry about the future, food, and happiness. I tasted them more than enough, knew the pros and cons of "protected" life, and got out of it on my own choice. I was spoiled - took everything for granted - and is now on the way to be a better person.
I seriously have no idea what I would be like if I am under 20 now.
Weinland-Yutani
...is the evil company behind all the conspiracies in the Alien series.
The "Yutani" part refers to a supposedly American Japanese, John Yutani.
But where are the Japanese sign?
- In Alien, the magazine that gets shoved into Sigourney Weaver's mouth by Iam Holm is a Japanese tabloid magazine, Heibon Punch.
- In Alien3, the spaceship at the beginning of the movie shows some Chinese characters (numbers).
Hmm.
Ridley Scott follows up with more Japanese reference in the Blade Runner, tries again with the Black Rain and reportedly got sick of the beaurocracy involved with the Japanese government and decided never to film in Japan. Which was good, because the non-dystopia part in Black Rain was filled with misunderstandings and superstitions.
- Japanese yakuza boss speaks English fluently.
- Japanese cop draws caligraphy while is off-duty.
- Japanese roads were filled with bicycles. Hmm.
- Japanese yakuza rides motorcycles with a Japanese sword in the other hand.
Hmm.
