- 07/01/2009
- 09:58 CDT
Uh, Ben? Where did you come from last night? Good race! Maybe it was just more of a single speed course with no huge climbs or something, but you beat four of the guys who finished in front of you last week.
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- 06/29/2009
- 13:25 CDT
Here's the book I mentioned. I am really enjoying the audio version. It would be interesting to map his fictional bike ride.
- 06/19/2009
- 10:23 CDT
I've been kind of marathoning Heroes on Netflix lately. I watched the entire first season in about a week and a half, and just started season two. While watching Hiro's adventures in 17th century Japan, I was inspired to lookup しか(shika) in my dictionary. From the context, I was pretty sure it was deer, but I wanted to make sure. And it was. But here's where it gets interesting: one of the usage examples for the か(ka) reading of the kanji was 馬鹿-バカ(baka), which as anybody who has "learned" Japanese by watching anime knows, means dummy, idiot, dolt, etc. But it's usually written in katakana, I didn't even know there was a kanji version. The first kanji 馬(ba), means horse. When alone it's read as うま(uma). So, baka, idiot, dolt, etc, is literally a horse-deer. Which does sound pretty dumb. When I looked up うま in my wordtank, it gave me a couple interesting idioms: 馬の耳, a horse's ear, approximates "to turn a deaf ear to". While 馬が合う (uma ga au), literally "meet/be with a horse", is "gets along well with". interesting....
- 06/18/2009
- 20:21 CDT
I just can't decide what kind of sweet ass biker I am. Heck, I'll just call myself a Pathra and be done with it. Except my "custom" cruiser got stolen. Thanks a lot man.
I've been using Safari 4 on my laptop since its release last week or so. I really like the "Top Sites" feature. Even thought I know Opera had it years ago. And it does seem pretty fast. And it does score a perfect 100 on the Acid 3 standards compliance test But I really don't like it's RSS feed handling. And I don't like that when I right click to google a highlighted word, the search results come up in the current tab, instead of a new one. As little as that sounds, that almost a complete deal breaker for me. I use that feature a lot. On the other hand, If I highlight an unlinked URL, the context menu recognizes it's an URL, and offers to open it in a new tab or window. That's a really nice feature.
As much as I like my TV. And I really like it. There was one really distracting flaw. When the image on screen goes dark, the backlight is dimmed. When the image lightens up, the backlight brightens up. But it cycles the backlight almost constantly. And the cycling is always a second or two delayed from the picture changing. It's meant to be an "Advanced Contrast Enhancer", but really it's just annoying. Fortunately, after a lot of unsuccessful googling, I finally turned up the answer in a couple Amazon reviews of all places. Sony has released a firmware update that actually makes the Advance Contrast Enhancer toggle in the menus do something. Amazing. The improvements to the menus are nice too.
I've been using Safari 4 on my laptop since its release last week or so. I really like the "Top Sites" feature. Even thought I know Opera had it years ago. And it does seem pretty fast. And it does score a perfect 100 on the Acid 3 standards compliance test But I really don't like it's RSS feed handling. And I don't like that when I right click to google a highlighted word, the search results come up in the current tab, instead of a new one. As little as that sounds, that almost a complete deal breaker for me. I use that feature a lot. On the other hand, If I highlight an unlinked URL, the context menu recognizes it's an URL, and offers to open it in a new tab or window. That's a really nice feature.
As much as I like my TV. And I really like it. There was one really distracting flaw. When the image on screen goes dark, the backlight is dimmed. When the image lightens up, the backlight brightens up. But it cycles the backlight almost constantly. And the cycling is always a second or two delayed from the picture changing. It's meant to be an "Advanced Contrast Enhancer", but really it's just annoying. Fortunately, after a lot of unsuccessful googling, I finally turned up the answer in a couple Amazon reviews of all places. Sony has released a firmware update that actually makes the Advance Contrast Enhancer toggle in the menus do something. Amazing. The improvements to the menus are nice too.
- 06/16/2009
- 11:47 CDT
I am dizzy, but probably not from the bike picture. I do remember the Azuki, but thought you had gotten rid of it. We have a couple of bikes in the garage that need work. William has mastered riding his bike, but his brakes could be better - the bike was a St. Vinnie find, AND he needs a helmet. But he is very pleased with himself to finally be on a two wheeler.
- 06/13/2009
- 20:02 CDT
Sorry if this give you a headache, but I thought it was kind of cool. I stuck together pictures of my various road bikes just to see how the geometry compares.
The Azuki easily has the longest wheelbase of the bunch. And the biggest frame. Or hightest toptube anyway.
The Azuki easily has the longest wheelbase of the bunch. And the biggest frame. Or hightest toptube anyway.- 06/13/2009
- 17:38 CDT
Those with a long memory may remember an Azuki I pulled out of the junkyard amost three years ago. Well, I finally mostly finished it:
I've got a set of bullhorn bars I'll be putting on when I get a new stem. And those rims are actually raw alumninum, not white. It rides kind of weird. That huge rake on the fork makes it almost feel like a chopper. Although that impression is probably only due to my other road bikes having fairly steep geometry.
I've got a set of bullhorn bars I'll be putting on when I get a new stem. And those rims are actually raw alumninum, not white. It rides kind of weird. That huge rake on the fork makes it almost feel like a chopper. Although that impression is probably only due to my other road bikes having fairly steep geometry.
- 06/10/2009
- 19:51 CDT
I agree you should go. You should go any/every where. but don't forget to send a postcard
- 06/09/2009
- 08:21 CDT
I think Ireland is a good choice because it is small, beautiful and from everything I have read very bicycle friendly. Also, English is spoken. I have several friends who have been there more than once - although they didn't do a bicycle tour. Go! Don't forget to send a post card. :D
- 06/08/2009
- 17:01 CDT
I was going to say something about that, but forgot. My department can't really get any smaller and still continue to exist, so I think I'm pretty safe. The library only lost one person from the admin office, and really? That position always seemed kind of redundant to me. How many full time fundraisers does the library need? Especially when the university also maintains an entity, the Foundation House, entirely dedicated to raising funds. Staci was (err, I guess still is) a nice person, but there you have it.
Now that (an unusually wet) spring has finally come to Laramie, I've been thinking more and more about actually using some of my weeks of accrued vacation time. And then I saw an ad in the Post for $270 flights from Denver to Dublin. Sure, thats only one way. But man, I got the travel bug. A quick popular search engine for bike rentals in Dublin turns up lots of info. I don't know that I really have a real good idea of why I would want to go to Ireland. But... cheap flights. And it would be an edifying experience I'm sure. Maybe a tour of the Guinness storehouse?
Really, I just have to get off my ass and actually do something.
Now that (an unusually wet) spring has finally come to Laramie, I've been thinking more and more about actually using some of my weeks of accrued vacation time. And then I saw an ad in the Post for $270 flights from Denver to Dublin. Sure, thats only one way. But man, I got the travel bug. A quick popular search engine for bike rentals in Dublin turns up lots of info. I don't know that I really have a real good idea of why I would want to go to Ireland. But... cheap flights. And it would be an edifying experience I'm sure. Maybe a tour of the Guinness storehouse?
Really, I just have to get off my ass and actually do something.
- 06/08/2009
- 16:11 CDT
Here's hoping your bike rolls well tomorrow. Have fun! I read about the cuts at UW and am assuming your position is safe?
- 06/02/2009
- 15:45 CDT
Enough about running. Or real-life running anyway. I finished Mirror's Edge Sunday night. As amazingly frustrating as that game was at times, I still really liked it. The game was very short, so there is no way I'd have paid $50 or $60 for it when it was a new release, but it was worth the $20 I bought it for. And having played it both on the xbox and the PC, I have to say the PC is far superior. But I may just be biased in favor of keyboard/mouse for first person games.
I thought about it for a while, and there really is no way a controller is better than keyboard/mouse for first person perspective games. (I'm trying to be careful about calling ME a first person shooter (FPS) since it's sold as a first person not-a-shooter even though it is nearly impossible to get thought the final levels without shooting. But anyway...) As it's name might suggest, in a first person game, your view of the game world is necessary constrained by the first person perspective. You simply cannot turn, manouver, or aim fast enough with thumbsticks without crutches like a "turn around" button like Mirror's Edge has or auto aiming like most console FPSs have. The only other choice is to make the acceleration on the thumbsticks so fast as to be unusable for any precise movements. By allowing a greater physical range of movement across a desk instead of a maybe an inch, inch and a half of of a thumbstick, the mouse allows you to have extremely rapid directional changes, as well as precise aiming when needed. This shouldn't even be a debate.
In 3rd person games, consoles are adequate as the 3rd person perspective gives you a much wider view of the game world, and thus the need for swift directional changes or complex look-strafe movements are reduced. Also, auto-aim is historically kind of a given in 3rd person games anyway.
But anyway, at $20, Mirror's Edge is worth the money.
Also, Windows 7 arrives in October apparently. I can probably put off my desktop refresh until then.
I thought about it for a while, and there really is no way a controller is better than keyboard/mouse for first person perspective games. (I'm trying to be careful about calling ME a first person shooter (FPS) since it's sold as a first person not-a-shooter even though it is nearly impossible to get thought the final levels without shooting. But anyway...) As it's name might suggest, in a first person game, your view of the game world is necessary constrained by the first person perspective. You simply cannot turn, manouver, or aim fast enough with thumbsticks without crutches like a "turn around" button like Mirror's Edge has or auto aiming like most console FPSs have. The only other choice is to make the acceleration on the thumbsticks so fast as to be unusable for any precise movements. By allowing a greater physical range of movement across a desk instead of a maybe an inch, inch and a half of of a thumbstick, the mouse allows you to have extremely rapid directional changes, as well as precise aiming when needed. This shouldn't even be a debate.
In 3rd person games, consoles are adequate as the 3rd person perspective gives you a much wider view of the game world, and thus the need for swift directional changes or complex look-strafe movements are reduced. Also, auto-aim is historically kind of a given in 3rd person games anyway.
But anyway, at $20, Mirror's Edge is worth the money.
Also, Windows 7 arrives in October apparently. I can probably put off my desktop refresh until then.
- 06/01/2009
- 11:04 CDT
The official results are up, and I was 22 out of 40 finishers. I don't want to tell tales out of school (whatever that means), but the girl who finished behind me, and the guy who finished after me, cut a corner twords the end that took probably a 1/4 mile off the course. I caught up with they guy (obviously) but couldn't quite catch up with the girl. Of course, she also missed a turn right at the top of the course, and me being the nice guy I am, had to sprint up a hill to catch her and get her turned around. She had headphones in the whole time, so she didn't hear the people shouting at her to turn around.
But I was pleased to wake up the next morning without the expected soreness. In fact, I took the mountain bike out for a couple hour spin around something resembling the race course for tuesday night. It felt pretty good.
But I was pleased to wake up the next morning without the expected soreness. In fact, I took the mountain bike out for a couple hour spin around something resembling the race course for tuesday night. It felt pretty good.
- 06/01/2009
- 10:00 CDT
It's also you crossing the finish line! Well done! It looks very hot and dry, but I bet there was a breeze.
- 05/30/2009
- 15:21 CDT
For those wondering, I did survive the Pilot Hill run this morning. I think I pretty much got my usual results: Dead Middle. I wasn't on the list of the top 20, but I was not far behind the people on it. And since there were 40 runners, there you go. But my goal was just to do it. I was the guy stopping and talking with the volunteers at the aid stations the whole way up and back. (I really needed the rest...) The guy who won overall also won the Wyoming Marathon just last weekend. I can't really compete with that.
One guy was running in a Sport Kilt. Seems like the way to go, to be perfectly honest...
One guy was running in a Sport Kilt. Seems like the way to go, to be perfectly honest...
- 05/29/2009
- 08:05 CDT
That does it. I am going to plan a vacation around one of the races! Don't be a sandbagger - what a great word. Maybe your move up in the world has brighten your attitude a bit?
- 05/28/2009
- 14:27 CDT
The Laramie Mountain Bike series is gearing up for the summer, with the first race next Tuesday. I'm going to try to be there, but I don't think it's going to be pretty as I haven't been on my bike at all this year. OtOH, I am almost 20 lbs lighter and in better cardio shape than I was last summer. But I have a feeling my biking muscles are pretty weak.
I picked up my forest service parking permit over the lunch hour today. I think it's kind of like getting a season pass for skiing. I'll do "it" a lot more if I just pay for everything up front, instead of having to pay out smaller amounts every time.
Er, you probably know what I mean.
I picked up my forest service parking permit over the lunch hour today. I think it's kind of like getting a season pass for skiing. I'll do "it" a lot more if I just pay for everything up front, instead of having to pay out smaller amounts every time.
Er, you probably know what I mean.
- 05/28/2009
- 08:21 CDT
Creede Colorado? I don't know, maybe the same way a WI boy ends up in Leadville for a year? :)
- 05/27/2009
- 11:58 CDT
Since dumping cable for the Hulu/netflix/ota trifecta, I've been watching a lot more movies. A lot more. Last night it was The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford. The title is almost as long as the movie itself. But it was pretty good. The pacing could perhaps be described as languid. And doing a little wikipedi-ing about the major players has added a whole stack of books to my to-read list. Thanks a lot... And it kind of leaves me wondering how Robert Ford ended up running a saloon in BFE Creede, Colorado. How does one go from headlining shows in NYC to there? The other think I've been wondering is how that movie completely slipped under my radar until my co-worker encouraged me to see it. I guess with all the buzz in 2007 There will be Blood and No Country for Old Men and Juno and all, The Assassination... just kind of got lost in the shuffle.
- 05/26/2009
- 10:16 CDT
Well, my attempt at doing somewhat more regular updates didn't last long. Good thing I don't get paid for this.
Had an ok weekend. Did a long run on Sunday. And I've started using MapMyRun.com to track my training. According to their calculator, I'm actually keeping a faster pace than I thought I was, even over my 10+ mile runs. Which is good I suppose. I'm feeling pretty good about doing the Pilot Hill next weekend.
Later on Sunday I took the bike down to Ft Collins, and rode right into what turned out to be a motorcycle rally. Huh. I actually went down to see ink, which is an independent film made in Denver. The movie was pretty good. The camera work and effects and lighting were all really interesting. Some might say overdone. The acting was more than adequate. The story? Weeelll, that was a little weak. I guess. Thinking about it later, there are quite a few questions I have about what actually happened and why. Just stuff that could have been explained a little better in the film. But I saw it at the Lyric cinema cafe, which from the name I was thinking would be one of those places where it's like a restaurant that shows movies. But it's more of a small theater that happens to have real food at the concession stand. As I was on the motorcycle, and came late, I didn't take advantage of it, but you can actually buy a beer and go sit in the theater. On a couch. It's pretty sweet. And whats funny, is I was originally planning to go see Star Trek at the big stadium seating multiplex. But when I went to check movie times, right at the top of the page was something called the lyric cafe showing something called "ink". A little googling later, and I decided against the blockbuster. That's going to be around for a while. And really, does hollywood need more of my money? And take a chance on the little film in the little theater. I'm glad I did. What was it that dude said? "Two paths diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference."
And on that pretentious note: I will finish.
And get back to work.
Had an ok weekend. Did a long run on Sunday. And I've started using MapMyRun.com to track my training. According to their calculator, I'm actually keeping a faster pace than I thought I was, even over my 10+ mile runs. Which is good I suppose. I'm feeling pretty good about doing the Pilot Hill next weekend.
Later on Sunday I took the bike down to Ft Collins, and rode right into what turned out to be a motorcycle rally. Huh. I actually went down to see ink, which is an independent film made in Denver. The movie was pretty good. The camera work and effects and lighting were all really interesting. Some might say overdone. The acting was more than adequate. The story? Weeelll, that was a little weak. I guess. Thinking about it later, there are quite a few questions I have about what actually happened and why. Just stuff that could have been explained a little better in the film. But I saw it at the Lyric cinema cafe, which from the name I was thinking would be one of those places where it's like a restaurant that shows movies. But it's more of a small theater that happens to have real food at the concession stand. As I was on the motorcycle, and came late, I didn't take advantage of it, but you can actually buy a beer and go sit in the theater. On a couch. It's pretty sweet. And whats funny, is I was originally planning to go see Star Trek at the big stadium seating multiplex. But when I went to check movie times, right at the top of the page was something called the lyric cafe showing something called "ink". A little googling later, and I decided against the blockbuster. That's going to be around for a while. And really, does hollywood need more of my money? And take a chance on the little film in the little theater. I'm glad I did. What was it that dude said? "Two paths diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference."
And on that pretentious note: I will finish.
And get back to work.