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Bael and the Dragonborn |
News #1065 posted by Kinux on 09/22/16. |
Having watched the rise of the Dragonborn throughout the land, and noting the |
ever dwindling numbers of his lizardman followers, Bael has shunned the |
Lizardman race for the newly revealed Dragonborn. |
Those Lizardman who still follow the ways of Bael should still be able to |
follow the deity, but Bael will no longer accept new supplicants. |
Please refer to Help Bael and Help Dragonborn for more information. |
Maiden’s Tower |
Maiden’s Tower is built on a small rock around 200 meters from the shores of Uskudar (Scutari or ancient Chrysopolis) on the Bosphorus. The first use of the tiny island goes back to 300-400 BC when Byzantion was an ancient Greek colony, used as a customs station for ships passing through the Bosphorus strait. The first... |
There are several legends about the Maiden’s Tower. The best known is the story of the emperor’s daughter who was prophesized to be killed by a snake on her 18th birthday. To protect his daughter the emperor puts her in a tower on the Bosphorus where no snake could reach her. On her 18th birthday the emperor goes to th... |
Hagia Sophia |
Located on the historic peninsula in the Sultanahmet region, Hagia Sophia is one of the oldest and most important landmarks of Istanbul. Originally built in the 6th century as a Greek Orthodox cathedral of the Byzantine Empire, the building was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman years and later into a museum in... |
You can hardly appreciate the size and splendour of Hagia Sophia from the outside when you are standing next to it. Inside, visitors are stunned by its 32-meter diameter dome, its marbles and columns, and large beautifully preserved mosaics. The building today also has four minarets added by the Ottomans during its con... |
Friday, June 29, 2007 |
Why the iPhone Sucks |
Jesus has come back, and he's a phone now. |
But not really. I love Apple and everything, and I admit the iPhone looks awesome. If someone were to give me one, I'd shit my pants with glee. However, my problem with it is that, as one of the most expensive cell phones ever made, the iPhone should do everything that other cell phones do, and also have unique feature... |
For one thing, the iPhone doesn't have all the latest technology in it. It doesn't have GPS, and uses an outdated, slower, internet technology. It barely has any storage space - 8GB at the most, which is 10 times less than my 80GB iPod. I can forgive that, though, if you just consider it the best possible cell phone th... |
What I can't forgive is the fact that my Motorola V551, which I got 2 or 3 years ago for $50 (more than ten times less than the $600 iPhone), does more than the iPhone does. Here are some things my current cell does that the iPhone doesn't: |
• Instant messenging. Send me a message on MSN when I'm not on my computer, and it goes to my cell phone. |
• Recording video. It may be shitty quality, but at least it can do it. |
• Custom ringtones. I can upload any mp3 to my cell and use it as the ringtone. The iPhone can't do this; you have to buy ringtones. |
• Games. |
• Picture messages. |
• Voice dialing. |
• Etc. |
What sucks is that the iPhone is clearly capable of having all these things, but it is intentionally crippled in order to make more money (e.g. ringtones), or to hold back now so that a new hardware or software update in the future seems more impressive (e.g. NEW!!! The iPhone now has GAMES!!!! Just like CELL PHONES fr... |
Technology should constantly move forward, building on itself. Each new generation should do everything the last generation did, only better, and should add new technology on top of it. The iPhone, however, is a step backwards, and that should not be the case for a phone that costs thousands of dollars over the course ... |
Maybe I'm just bitter because I can't afford one (and they're not available yet here in Canada even if I could). But I'm hopeful that in a few years the iPhone's offspring will live up to their potential; then I'll be squirting with excitement and waiting in line to buy one like everyone else. |
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 |
The Impending Robot Revolution |
Below is a quote from Ray Kurzweil's book The Singularity is Near. To put it in context: The singularity is a time when humanity as we know it will suddenly change drastically, due to advances in technology. For example, our brains will be enhanced by nonbiological computers, and we'll spend half our time in fully imme... |
"The most powerful impending revolution is "R": human-level robots with their intelligence derived from our own but redesigned to far exceed human capabilities. R represents the most significant transformation, because intelligence is the most powerful "force" in the universe. Intelligence, if sufficiently advanced, is... |
Is it just me, or is that terrifying? This isn't science fiction; Kurzweil actually believes this will happen in the not-to-distant future, and I'm inclined to agree with him. Yet it sounds like science fiction, and not happy utopian future science fiction, but The Matrix / Mad Max / Blade Runner / oops we destroyed th... |
Sure, it could go either way. Maybe the obstacles standing in the path of these superhuman, superintelligent, and presumably supersized robots will be obstacles that overlap with humanity's: global warming, crime, obesity, premature baldness. But what if their obstacles are us? We with our dull neuron-based brains and ... |
I'm sure Kurzweil has speculation on how we'll prevent this from happening (I'm only halfway through the book). I just hope he doesn't underestimate the human race's ability to make extremely stupid decisions, or overlook the fact that when it comes to world-altering technology, it only takes a small group of sketchy p... |
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 |
Ice Cream |
I think one of the only bad things about ice cream is that you can't put it in tupperware in the morning and bring it to work with you, because by the time lunch rolls around, it's all melted, and does not taste as good. |
Sunday, June 24, 2007 |
I made a new blog type thing. It uses something called Tumblr, which is sort of a cross between Blogger and Twitter. You just push a button to post anything you find on the web, and it shows up on this Tumblr blog. It also imports info from other hip Web 2.0 things like, Digg, Twitter, Blogger, etc. It's all quick and ... |
Check it out: |
One shitty thing is that it only displays a max of 15 things per page. I've been hitting the "share on Tumblr" button whenever I find anything remotely interesting in the last few days, and stuff goes off the main page quick. So it needs work, but could be a pretty cool little tool for you blogger types. |
Friday, June 22, 2007 |
Stephen King's Richard Bachman's "New" Book |
I saw this book in Chapters the other day, and my eye was drawn to Stephen King's name. Of course, this is exactly what the publishers wanted my eye to do, because everyone knows who Stephen King is, but fewer know Richard Bachman. The funny thing is, the book's only author is Bachman, whose name you may be able to mak... |
I was also surprised to see King putting out another book so soon after his last one. But it turns out that this was written in the 70s as one of the original "Bachman books", then never released. King only rewrote Blaze recently, in addition to writing like 5 other novels from scratch. He can write books faster than I... |
I can't imagine the time, motivation, and willpower it would take to write 2 or 3 novels in a year. Actually, scratch that; if I was being paid millions of dollars to live in a fancy house in Maine, and all I had to do was spooge my fantasies into a keyboard all day every day, it would take zero willpower. I'd drop eve... |
A hamster's heart beats over 450 times per minute! |
And it's spelled hamster, not hampster. Where does everyone get that P? |
Oh, hey, maybe I should go study for my big set of exams coming up in 2 weeks instead of procrastinating by looking up animal heart rates. Unless anyone wants to offer me a novel deal for enough cash to take a few years off of school and write? I haven't really written anything before, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. ... |
Thursday, June 21, 2007 |
I think the awesomest thing about going bald is that if a bug lands on my head, I feel it right away. Ain't no bugs gonna sit on my hair and lay eggs that burrow into my brain, because I ain't GOT no hair. Take that. |
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 |
I found the last point the most interesting: |
Mistake I9: Being Too Clever |
Oh Schnapp |
Putting butterscotch schnapps in my coffee this morning, I realized, if this is what drinking in the middle of the work day tastes like, I'm totally ready to become an alcoholic. |
Monday, June 18, 2007 |
I Like to Do Drawrings |
Only semi-retarded emo kids post their crappy art to their blogs. |
Here is mine: |
Click for bigification. |
I found these on my computer. They are old. I don't do art any more because science has sucked my soul out like an overzealous hooker. |
Friday, June 15, 2007 |
Nolff revealed some new mathematical formulas which I have studied carefully . Fatrobot built upon Nolff's previous research and developed new theorums and techniquums. I have done research too. I did it by scribbling on a chalkboard, because that is how scientists like myself do research. I have developed a new method... |
Here is proof of concept: |
Note its wide application. For example, here is some biological science: |
Next week I will demonstrate how to factor analyze the music of Kelly Clarkson in order to reveal viable Calabi-Yau manifolds. |
Einstein, A. (1982). (§ / 7) * π r ^ 2 + Oprah = 42. Jrnl O Nppy Hded Hs, 71, 314-6096. |
Monday, June 11, 2007 |
V and I have been in Ottawa for the last few days. Here are some facts about Ottawa: |
• Sneaking into an academic conference isn't too hard. I probably should have registered early, when it didn't cost much, but given that I was lazy and waited until the price went up to $400.00, there's no way I'm paying that much just to wander booths where companies advertise their stuff. If I'm getting deluged wit... |
• The Byward Market is pretty cool. V bought a plastic spider there that will mellow her chakra energies based on ancient Indian colour wheels, or something. There are lots of hippies in Ottawa. |
• The bathrooms in Ottawa are extremely nice and clean. Even in male public washrooms, I barely saw any shit, piss, blood or puke outside of the bowl. Paradoxically (or maybe not), people enjoy peeing in random places that are not bathrooms. We saw a few too many penises flopping out in the middle of the city. |
• I got a nosebleed for the first time in my life. I haven't blown my nose since then, because man, nosebleeds are scary. This probably has nothing to do with Ottawa, other than taking place there. |
• The city was still kinda depressed over not winning the Stanley Cup. It's OK, Ottawa, second place is still pretty good. Hah! Just kidding! Nobody even remembers second place. You fail at life. |
I'll post a few pictures or something later. The art gallery has a giant spider in front of it, which I will post a picture of. As the great poet Robert Frost once said, "giant spiders fucking kick ass." |
Wednesday, June 06, 2007 |
"Country Music" is an Oxymoron |
I really love country music. Here is some fan mail: |
Dear Carrie Underwood, |
P.S. Your music makes me puke out of my ears. |
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 |
Food Logic Volume 4: Cheese + Coffee |
Premise 1: Cheese goes good with beer. |
Premise 2: Beer goes good with coffee. |
Conclusion: Coffee goes good with cheese. |
I'm thinking melted right in there. Yum yum. |
See also: Food logic volume 3: Butter + coffee. |
Monday, June 04, 2007 |
Jesus Camp |
Jesus Camp: This movie has nothing to do with pirates or reality TV, so it gets a separate post. Jesus Camp is a documentary about a camp where kids go to "learn" about evangelical Christian beliefs. You may have heard Richard Dawkins say that bringing up kids to believe in a certain religion is child abuse. Well, if y... |
What bugs me isn't that kids are learning about what this particular brand of Christians believe. Rather, they are being TOLD that it is the only thing they can possibly believe, and that anyone who doesn't believe it is an enemy. And maybe I'm just projecting my own beliefs on my perceptions, but I really see a lot of... |
I would never advocate taking away the right for such a camp to exist. Yet it shows that there is a large problem, at least in the United States. There are people - and there are a lot of them - with crazy harmful beliefs, and they are brainwashing their children to have the same beliefs. These kids don't even get a ch... |
I do believe, however, that sanity will prevail. Most normal Christians will be as horrified by this movie as I am. Atheists are becoming more organized and powerful thanks to Richard Dawkins and his ilk. Basically, most people are sane, and I have "faith" that they will overshadow these nutjobs and their brainwashed c... |
Here are a few things I saw: |
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