Nothing is better than complete happiness.
A buggy application is better than nothing.
Therefore, a buggy application is better than complete happiness.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
White Birthday
It's snowing in Michigan today. We've had erratic snow this season. Not yet enough to shovel. Yet the first snow was before Halloween. None at all for Christmas. If i'd wanted this, i'd have moved to Texas. Call it Global Warming.
But today was my birthday. So, it's a White Birthday.
I got a card by email. It's a Word Document. You can tell, because the names "signed" on the card are underlined in red and green squiggles. That's right. They don't know how to spell their own names, or use proper English grammar, at least according to Micros~1. It shows a cake with candles. Eight candles. Well, that matches my avatar. But in the upper right hand corner was the date. It says January 24, 1007.
I pointed it out to the sender (email is really cheap). It's not your normal It's still 2006 sort of error. It suggests that i'm a millennium old today. (It doesn't really feel like it yet. I guess each candle represents 125 years.). They said that i look good for my age.
Now then. Do you ever hear people say You look thin for your height!. I didn't think so.
This one i heard from a complete stranger just out of the blue: "That's your son? He doesn't look anything like you!". Well he doesn't. It's not an issue for me, but this person couldn't possibly have known that at the time. And people say that Midwesterners are so polite...
Today's music: Happy Birthday, by Weird Al Yankovic. 1983. Still rocks.
But today was my birthday. So, it's a White Birthday.
I got a card by email. It's a Word Document. You can tell, because the names "signed" on the card are underlined in red and green squiggles. That's right. They don't know how to spell their own names, or use proper English grammar, at least according to Micros~1. It shows a cake with candles. Eight candles. Well, that matches my avatar. But in the upper right hand corner was the date. It says January 24, 1007.
I pointed it out to the sender (email is really cheap). It's not your normal It's still 2006 sort of error. It suggests that i'm a millennium old today. (It doesn't really feel like it yet. I guess each candle represents 125 years.). They said that i look good for my age.
Now then. Do you ever hear people say You look thin for your height!. I didn't think so.
This one i heard from a complete stranger just out of the blue: "That's your son? He doesn't look anything like you!". Well he doesn't. It's not an issue for me, but this person couldn't possibly have known that at the time. And people say that Midwesterners are so polite...
Today's music: Happy Birthday, by Weird Al Yankovic. 1983. Still rocks.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
soda can return blues
I'm seeing red because my grocery store no long accepts my soda brand for bottle returns. The trouble is, the vending machine doesn't do returns at all.
Now all this is according to the law. And, i could see it, if the bottles had to go back to the bottling plant. But they don't. Once they're counted, they're crushed and sent somewhere for recycling. They are NOT refilled.
But it's worse. My brand is Mug Root Beer. It's caffeine free. I've had to go that route because caffeine gives me arthritis. I didn't really want to give up my addiction. Really. But Mug Root Beer is Pepsi. My grocery store carries Pepsi, just not this model.
Feh.
Now all this is according to the law. And, i could see it, if the bottles had to go back to the bottling plant. But they don't. Once they're counted, they're crushed and sent somewhere for recycling. They are NOT refilled.
But it's worse. My brand is Mug Root Beer. It's caffeine free. I've had to go that route because caffeine gives me arthritis. I didn't really want to give up my addiction. Really. But Mug Root Beer is Pepsi. My grocery store carries Pepsi, just not this model.
Feh.
Friday, January 05, 2007
There Are No Absolute Truths
The idea that absolute calorie intake minus calories expended is meaningful is simply wrong. I have two examples where this failed.
I met a woman years ago who was grossly overweight. About five feet tall, and over four hundred pounds. She looked for a diet where she could maintain her weight. She gained weight on a 700 calorie diet. She was quite active, and, no, evidence suggests that she did not cheat. Finally, she was able to maintain her weight on a 500 calorie diet. Once stable for a year, she underwent surgery to remove some 190 pounds. Still a bit chubby. Most people would not survive long term on 500 calories.
When i was in school, i ran cross country. My workouts were 15 miles, twice a day. That's 30 miles a day. 210 miles a week. 14 weeks. My calorie intake was not measured precisely, but did not increase. It was probably around 2500 calories. According to Dr. Cooper, my calorie expenditure was over 4000 calories per day. I should have lost weight, right? The actual result was a 10 pound weight gain.
One reason my intake did not increase was that i could not afford to eat more. The caffeteria provided "all you can eat", but my runs ran into both breakfast and dinner. The result was that they closed just a minute or two after i arrived, every day. So, no seconds.
Absolute calorie figures do not seem to understand how physiology really works. One summer, i decided to bicycle to work. (My new job had showers). When i started, my average speed was under ten miles per hour. At the end of the summer my average speed was 21 miles per hour. At these speeds, drag increases with the cube of the speed. So, a doubling in speed requires an eight fold increase in power. To achieve this, one's cardiovascular system needs to adapt. It does this by increasing efficiency and by increasing capacity. But base efficiency of physiology across a population behaves with a bell curve distribution. There are going to be outliers, like the woman i met above.
What does work is relative lifestyle changes. Eat a little less. Exercise a little more.
These aren't many data points, but in the grand tradition of physics, i'm more than willing to fit a ninth order polynomial to them.
Remember, there's an exception to every rule. Even this one.
I met a woman years ago who was grossly overweight. About five feet tall, and over four hundred pounds. She looked for a diet where she could maintain her weight. She gained weight on a 700 calorie diet. She was quite active, and, no, evidence suggests that she did not cheat. Finally, she was able to maintain her weight on a 500 calorie diet. Once stable for a year, she underwent surgery to remove some 190 pounds. Still a bit chubby. Most people would not survive long term on 500 calories.
When i was in school, i ran cross country. My workouts were 15 miles, twice a day. That's 30 miles a day. 210 miles a week. 14 weeks. My calorie intake was not measured precisely, but did not increase. It was probably around 2500 calories. According to Dr. Cooper, my calorie expenditure was over 4000 calories per day. I should have lost weight, right? The actual result was a 10 pound weight gain.
One reason my intake did not increase was that i could not afford to eat more. The caffeteria provided "all you can eat", but my runs ran into both breakfast and dinner. The result was that they closed just a minute or two after i arrived, every day. So, no seconds.
Absolute calorie figures do not seem to understand how physiology really works. One summer, i decided to bicycle to work. (My new job had showers). When i started, my average speed was under ten miles per hour. At the end of the summer my average speed was 21 miles per hour. At these speeds, drag increases with the cube of the speed. So, a doubling in speed requires an eight fold increase in power. To achieve this, one's cardiovascular system needs to adapt. It does this by increasing efficiency and by increasing capacity. But base efficiency of physiology across a population behaves with a bell curve distribution. There are going to be outliers, like the woman i met above.
What does work is relative lifestyle changes. Eat a little less. Exercise a little more.
These aren't many data points, but in the grand tradition of physics, i'm more than willing to fit a ninth order polynomial to them.
Remember, there's an exception to every rule. Even this one.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
New Year's Resolutions
Rather than report this year's resolutions, i'd rather report on how last year's resolutions came out.
My exercise program averaged at least 20 minutes three times a week from January through August. In September, i caught a cold, and averaged once a month through the end of the year. I'm nearly over the cold. I took it easy over the holidays and feel much better.
My diet was, in my opinion, a failure. While i did not have any net weight gain, there was no weight loss. The goal was to loose 35 pounds. I've done this before, so i know it's possible.
My brain exercises program continues on track. Lots of books read. Several other interests moved forward.
There were no financial goals, and none achieved by chance. Maybe next year.
My exercise program averaged at least 20 minutes three times a week from January through August. In September, i caught a cold, and averaged once a month through the end of the year. I'm nearly over the cold. I took it easy over the holidays and feel much better.
My diet was, in my opinion, a failure. While i did not have any net weight gain, there was no weight loss. The goal was to loose 35 pounds. I've done this before, so i know it's possible.
My brain exercises program continues on track. Lots of books read. Several other interests moved forward.
There were no financial goals, and none achieved by chance. Maybe next year.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Re-use, recycle
Anyone want a like-new calendar?
If you're a pack rat like me and never throw anything out, what you need to rummage for is a 1995 calendar. Both 2007 and 1995 start on Monday. Now, if, like me, you throw things out after ten years if you haven't used them, then you may as well toss the 2006 calendar. You won't be able to get more calendar mileage from it until 2017, and of course, you'll have tossed it in 2016. You see, 2012 starts on a Sunday, just like 2006. But 2012 is a leap year. February will have 29 days in 2012, whereas 2006's February had 28 days (unless it really had 29, and i somehow missed it).
Remember this for next year too. Since 2012 starts on a Sunday, and is a leap year, 2013 starts on Tuesday - skipping out on the Monday starting year. You must wait until 2018 to reuse the 2007 calendars, and, of course, you'll have just thrown them out.
Just to get you going for the new year, here's how it starts:
Happy New Year.
January 2006
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
If you're a pack rat like me and never throw anything out, what you need to rummage for is a 1995 calendar. Both 2007 and 1995 start on Monday. Now, if, like me, you throw things out after ten years if you haven't used them, then you may as well toss the 2006 calendar. You won't be able to get more calendar mileage from it until 2017, and of course, you'll have tossed it in 2016. You see, 2012 starts on a Sunday, just like 2006. But 2012 is a leap year. February will have 29 days in 2012, whereas 2006's February had 28 days (unless it really had 29, and i somehow missed it).
Remember this for next year too. Since 2012 starts on a Sunday, and is a leap year, 2013 starts on Tuesday - skipping out on the Monday starting year. You must wait until 2018 to reuse the 2007 calendars, and, of course, you'll have just thrown them out.
Just to get you going for the new year, here's how it starts:
January 2007
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
Happy New Year.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Rob a bank
I met a guy who robbed a bank. Uhm, before he robbed the bank. Uhm, i guess i should say attempted to rob a bank. He had a partner.
On the surface, the plan sucked. There was no real getaway plan. That is, the bank was in downtown Philadelphia, where driving is difficult. It was rush hour at that. This particular bank was nowhere near public transit. They didn't have bicycles. They weren't in good running condition. They didn't have a pre-written note, and scribbled one as they walked in. They stood in line to see a teller. When they handed the teller the note, the teller couldn't read it, and they had to explain what it said out loud - attracting attention of other tellers. A couple minutes into this exchange, a foot policeman walked in. This is even before the silent alarm was tripped. So, they were caught. At least they didn't have any real weapons.
Now, as i said, i'd met this man before. He'd done some dumb things, like get hooked on alcohol, and likely drugs. And, in fact, about this time, both he and his partner in crime had just been evicted from their respective apartments. Probably for non-payment. But, this guy did not seem totally stupid. He could perform logic, and such, and was less delusional than most of my historic managers.
And, it was not that he didn't understand the consequences. He'd been in jail before. His partner too. So, it would be easy to classify them as repeat offenders.
But it was winter in Philadelphia. And these guys had been in homeless shelters before too. Jail was just better. Warmer. Better food. Health care. Less access to drugs and alcohol.
Better.
Merry Christmas.
On the surface, the plan sucked. There was no real getaway plan. That is, the bank was in downtown Philadelphia, where driving is difficult. It was rush hour at that. This particular bank was nowhere near public transit. They didn't have bicycles. They weren't in good running condition. They didn't have a pre-written note, and scribbled one as they walked in. They stood in line to see a teller. When they handed the teller the note, the teller couldn't read it, and they had to explain what it said out loud - attracting attention of other tellers. A couple minutes into this exchange, a foot policeman walked in. This is even before the silent alarm was tripped. So, they were caught. At least they didn't have any real weapons.
Now, as i said, i'd met this man before. He'd done some dumb things, like get hooked on alcohol, and likely drugs. And, in fact, about this time, both he and his partner in crime had just been evicted from their respective apartments. Probably for non-payment. But, this guy did not seem totally stupid. He could perform logic, and such, and was less delusional than most of my historic managers.
And, it was not that he didn't understand the consequences. He'd been in jail before. His partner too. So, it would be easy to classify them as repeat offenders.
But it was winter in Philadelphia. And these guys had been in homeless shelters before too. Jail was just better. Warmer. Better food. Health care. Less access to drugs and alcohol.
Better.
Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Road to Salvation
More on having just read the Christian Bible.
So, what's my goal? Oddly enough, it isn't salvation. For me, chasing after personal salvation is too self centered. It's all, "I WANT", or mindless personal comfort, and seems to miss the point entirely. (Many of my close personal Jewish friends seem to understand this. And it's a good thing to get a glimpse at that understanding.) If i achieve salvation, it will be as a side effect of the life i lead. That's assuming salvation is achievable. And this is by no means certain.
So, what's next in my road to spiritual growth? Well, i may go back and read the other bits using the WEB version. Or, i may start again, but use biblical commentaries, compiled by biblical scholars. It's very likely that these people have historical context information to add that i don't. Why not leverage their hard work?
For example, i once heard an interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke. In the story, a priest walks by the hurt person, who was presumed dead. Without context, it sounds like this person is a hypocrite. But under Levitican law, such a priest is not allowed to touch the body of a dead person except that of a very close relative. So, this person acted properly in context. My reading of Leviticus didn't make this obvious to me. But someone who really studied it would know. Does this dramatically change the story? Maybe not. But it does make the story believable to the original audience. But another thing the Biblical scholars would tell me is who, exactly, are the Samaritans? Well, these people were Jews who set up a new city on another hill. Now, cities need serious support. So, these people called their city a holy city. But, to the Jews, Jerusalem was The Holy City. So, those who supported Jerusalem considered the Jews who supported this other city as the lowest kind of creature on Earth. They despised them even more than any non-Jew. This changes the story entirely. It means that the person who clearly acted selflessly and honorably was a member of the worst scum of the Earth. And, this clearly reflected poorly on those who considered themselves the most righteous. So, the story was carefully crafted to make people take ownership of these issues, in no uncertain terms. Yet, due to the ravages of time, there is much that is uncertain or missleading.
Perhaps it is time for modern parables. For example, on an airplane, the steward(ess) says, "In the event of an emergency, oxygen masks will drop down from the ceiling. Place your own mask on your face before assisting others.". This little statement is the same as "before you remove the speck in your brother's eye, remove the log that is in your own eye." Perhaps the modern version will resonate with people in modern culture better.
I'm not quite sure when i started this Bible reading project. And there was a year or two where i paused because my Palm Pilot was nearly unusable. I fixed it, and continued. Probably three years total time. But, i've read more than a hundred other books in the mean time. I've also watched movies, and was otherwise properly entertained. The years go by quickly. So, my advise, start reading. In this, the end goal of finishing is not the important part. Don't worry about it. It's what you get out of the process of going through it that matters.
So, what's my goal? Oddly enough, it isn't salvation. For me, chasing after personal salvation is too self centered. It's all, "I WANT", or mindless personal comfort, and seems to miss the point entirely. (Many of my close personal Jewish friends seem to understand this. And it's a good thing to get a glimpse at that understanding.) If i achieve salvation, it will be as a side effect of the life i lead. That's assuming salvation is achievable. And this is by no means certain.
So, what's next in my road to spiritual growth? Well, i may go back and read the other bits using the WEB version. Or, i may start again, but use biblical commentaries, compiled by biblical scholars. It's very likely that these people have historical context information to add that i don't. Why not leverage their hard work?
For example, i once heard an interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke. In the story, a priest walks by the hurt person, who was presumed dead. Without context, it sounds like this person is a hypocrite. But under Levitican law, such a priest is not allowed to touch the body of a dead person except that of a very close relative. So, this person acted properly in context. My reading of Leviticus didn't make this obvious to me. But someone who really studied it would know. Does this dramatically change the story? Maybe not. But it does make the story believable to the original audience. But another thing the Biblical scholars would tell me is who, exactly, are the Samaritans? Well, these people were Jews who set up a new city on another hill. Now, cities need serious support. So, these people called their city a holy city. But, to the Jews, Jerusalem was The Holy City. So, those who supported Jerusalem considered the Jews who supported this other city as the lowest kind of creature on Earth. They despised them even more than any non-Jew. This changes the story entirely. It means that the person who clearly acted selflessly and honorably was a member of the worst scum of the Earth. And, this clearly reflected poorly on those who considered themselves the most righteous. So, the story was carefully crafted to make people take ownership of these issues, in no uncertain terms. Yet, due to the ravages of time, there is much that is uncertain or missleading.
Perhaps it is time for modern parables. For example, on an airplane, the steward(ess) says, "In the event of an emergency, oxygen masks will drop down from the ceiling. Place your own mask on your face before assisting others.". This little statement is the same as "before you remove the speck in your brother's eye, remove the log that is in your own eye." Perhaps the modern version will resonate with people in modern culture better.
I'm not quite sure when i started this Bible reading project. And there was a year or two where i paused because my Palm Pilot was nearly unusable. I fixed it, and continued. Probably three years total time. But, i've read more than a hundred other books in the mean time. I've also watched movies, and was otherwise properly entertained. The years go by quickly. So, my advise, start reading. In this, the end goal of finishing is not the important part. Don't worry about it. It's what you get out of the process of going through it that matters.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Why Read the Bible
More reflection after having just read the entire Christian Bible.
For most of my life i've gone to church on Sunday. So i've heard the entire lectionary series several times. I've also read certain whole Bible books before, like Luke, and the first five books - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. So, much of the reading was review. Certainly, i'd had exposure to most of the good bits. By "good", i mean meaningful and relevant. But reading the Bible from end to end provides context. This context was often startling. Even whole chapters used in the Lectionary seemed to have new direction in context. Certainly, just about any quoted verse you may have heard has new meaning in context. More than half of the time, when someone quotes a Bible verse at you, it doesn't mean anything like what it sounds. It's almost as if someone who took the time to read the whole Bible purposely found verses that, when taken out of context, seemed to mean whatever they wanted to say. That then gives an authority to whatever they wanted to say that simply isn't justified. It is dishonest. And, that's despite repeated admonitions in the Bible against hypocrisy.
Take, for example, John 3:16. This is the canonical Christian statement of faith. It is generally taken to mean what it says. But the book of John does not read anything like the other synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. And it is worth knowing what John's view is. Without that context, any interpretation of basic Christian faith may be wrong.
I doubt that more than a percent or two of Christians have read the Bible from end to end. Without this background, one is essentially biblically illiterate. And, while John 3:16 says that faith is all you need, consider that "faith without works is dead" (which also requires context to understand), and "the road to salvation is narrow, like the razor's edge", and "many are called, but few are chosen". These references lead one to the idea that salvation, if that's your goal, requires more work than going to church once a week. In particular, going to church once a week does not make you Christian. It isn't enough.
And how could it be? In a typical Christian sermon, the pastor must assume a fairly introductory level of knowledge. There might be new people in the church. Hopefully there are. After all, the primary goal of the church is outreach. But that means that real depth is essentially impossible. On top of that, the typical sermon has just three points. That's 150 points a year, and less if you look for duplicates. Even education programs outside of the Church service have to start somewhere. I've not seen a church anywhere that supports a ten year study, for example.
Now, i'm not going to say that you are Damned to Hell if you don't follow my lead here. Only God judges. I'm not even allowed to judge myself. Perhaps i'm being to hard on myself. Or not hard enough. Yet i don't worry, in fear that i don't measure up. I'm just attempting to do the best i can. No one can ask for more. And as near as i can tell, not even God asks more.
Oddly, if you're not Christian, but just want to understand Christians, reading the Bible won't do it for you. That's because most Christians haven't read it, or at least don't act as if they've read it.
For most of my life i've gone to church on Sunday. So i've heard the entire lectionary series several times. I've also read certain whole Bible books before, like Luke, and the first five books - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. So, much of the reading was review. Certainly, i'd had exposure to most of the good bits. By "good", i mean meaningful and relevant. But reading the Bible from end to end provides context. This context was often startling. Even whole chapters used in the Lectionary seemed to have new direction in context. Certainly, just about any quoted verse you may have heard has new meaning in context. More than half of the time, when someone quotes a Bible verse at you, it doesn't mean anything like what it sounds. It's almost as if someone who took the time to read the whole Bible purposely found verses that, when taken out of context, seemed to mean whatever they wanted to say. That then gives an authority to whatever they wanted to say that simply isn't justified. It is dishonest. And, that's despite repeated admonitions in the Bible against hypocrisy.
Take, for example, John 3:16. This is the canonical Christian statement of faith. It is generally taken to mean what it says. But the book of John does not read anything like the other synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. And it is worth knowing what John's view is. Without that context, any interpretation of basic Christian faith may be wrong.
I doubt that more than a percent or two of Christians have read the Bible from end to end. Without this background, one is essentially biblically illiterate. And, while John 3:16 says that faith is all you need, consider that "faith without works is dead" (which also requires context to understand), and "the road to salvation is narrow, like the razor's edge", and "many are called, but few are chosen". These references lead one to the idea that salvation, if that's your goal, requires more work than going to church once a week. In particular, going to church once a week does not make you Christian. It isn't enough.
And how could it be? In a typical Christian sermon, the pastor must assume a fairly introductory level of knowledge. There might be new people in the church. Hopefully there are. After all, the primary goal of the church is outreach. But that means that real depth is essentially impossible. On top of that, the typical sermon has just three points. That's 150 points a year, and less if you look for duplicates. Even education programs outside of the Church service have to start somewhere. I've not seen a church anywhere that supports a ten year study, for example.
Now, i'm not going to say that you are Damned to Hell if you don't follow my lead here. Only God judges. I'm not even allowed to judge myself. Perhaps i'm being to hard on myself. Or not hard enough. Yet i don't worry, in fear that i don't measure up. I'm just attempting to do the best i can. No one can ask for more. And as near as i can tell, not even God asks more.
Oddly, if you're not Christian, but just want to understand Christians, reading the Bible won't do it for you. That's because most Christians haven't read it, or at least don't act as if they've read it.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Reading the Entire Bible
I recently finished reading the Christian Bible. I'm not saying this to brag. Finishing it is very much not the point. I'll expand on this idea in a later post. I'd have read it sooner, but it is a rather large book, and it's inconvenient to carry around. Historically, one got the choice of a large physical book, or really small print. Really small print was an option when i was younger, i suppose. And also, Post-It notes hadn't been invented. (These make excellent book marks, showing not just the page, but the exact spot where one left off).
Another practical problem is that the language of the Bible is not modern American English. Even if the translation is modern, terms and idioms are used that either aren't common in every day use, or mean different things. Maybe it's something simple as "Adam knew Eve". The biblical writers also often meant more than one thing when they wrote anything. So, let's say the bible explained the "Adam knew Eve" bit by saying "Of course he did. They hung around together all the time!". That would be ambiguous too. And the Bible writer would probably mean both obvious things.
All this adds up to slow reading. It's easy to get information overflow, so you have to take your time. Read a little at a time, on a regular basis, like daily. One needs to go slow enough to give it time to sink in, but fast enough so one still remembers the context. That's why Christan educators always suggest study on a regular basis. And even so, the book of Revelation is just impossible.
I solved many of these practical problems by reading the Bible on my Palm Pilot. The entire Bible can be stored on one. In fact, the King James Bible will fit (compressed) on a single 3.5" floppy disk - less than 1.44 MB. If you get the right reader, the Palm can display text in a fairly large font with high contrast. The Palm itself is fairly small, and can do other things than allow you to read this one book. For example, it can keep your phone numbers, addresses, appointments, grocery lists, notes, and for me, a chart of the night sky and observation log. When you are done reading for a session, the Palm automatically remembers exactly where you were.
Reading the Bible on the Palm raises a new problem, however. Copyright. The King James Bible is in the public domain. I can do anything i want with it. It isn't modern American English. I started reading the King James version because it was the only version that i knew was public at the time. Part way through the Old Testament, i switched to the Douay-Rheims version, which had been posted to Project Gutenberg. This version uses slightly more modern English, and has some "extra" Catholic books. More recently, the WEB - the World English Bible was posted on Project Gutenberg. This is a much more modern English version, and has some minor commentary on some specific translation issues. It is my current favorite public domain version.
In my opinion, all versions of the Bible should be public. Sure, making a Bible translation is time consuming and expensive. Christian organizations should eat the cost. I mean, the Christian imperative is the Great Commission - teach all nations. The Great Commission does not say you must keep tight control over the Bible. Nor does it say you must make great steaming gobs of money with this best-seller. They can still make paper editions available, and charge for it. But getting the Bible out in electronic form can allow a wide audience to customize the experience. This can be a make-or-break difference, as it was for me. So, there's no excuse.
While i have a license to an electronic copy of the New Revised Standard Version, a very modern and readable translation, the license does not allow me to do whatever i want with it. So despite having paid more for it than all the paper Bibles i own combined, i was not able to put it on my Palm Pilot and just read it. It's stuck on the computer i bought it for, and that's that. That makes it good for certain reference uses, and only when i'm at home, and the computer (now 19 years old) is working. I also have a paper copy of this version. It's in very good condition, which just shows that i've hardly used it.
Reading the Bible on a computer may not be for you. Maybe paper is for you. I'm just relating what worked for me. Now that i've read it, i may put a new copy on my Palm, optimized for looking up references. Or maybe not. The main thing that seems to be good for is refuting Bible thumpers who hit you over the head with a verse out of context. While it may be fun to argue, these people are seldom convinced of anything, and more heat than light is generated.
Another practical problem is that the language of the Bible is not modern American English. Even if the translation is modern, terms and idioms are used that either aren't common in every day use, or mean different things. Maybe it's something simple as "Adam knew Eve". The biblical writers also often meant more than one thing when they wrote anything. So, let's say the bible explained the "Adam knew Eve" bit by saying "Of course he did. They hung around together all the time!". That would be ambiguous too. And the Bible writer would probably mean both obvious things.
All this adds up to slow reading. It's easy to get information overflow, so you have to take your time. Read a little at a time, on a regular basis, like daily. One needs to go slow enough to give it time to sink in, but fast enough so one still remembers the context. That's why Christan educators always suggest study on a regular basis. And even so, the book of Revelation is just impossible.
I solved many of these practical problems by reading the Bible on my Palm Pilot. The entire Bible can be stored on one. In fact, the King James Bible will fit (compressed) on a single 3.5" floppy disk - less than 1.44 MB. If you get the right reader, the Palm can display text in a fairly large font with high contrast. The Palm itself is fairly small, and can do other things than allow you to read this one book. For example, it can keep your phone numbers, addresses, appointments, grocery lists, notes, and for me, a chart of the night sky and observation log. When you are done reading for a session, the Palm automatically remembers exactly where you were.
Reading the Bible on the Palm raises a new problem, however. Copyright. The King James Bible is in the public domain. I can do anything i want with it. It isn't modern American English. I started reading the King James version because it was the only version that i knew was public at the time. Part way through the Old Testament, i switched to the Douay-Rheims version, which had been posted to Project Gutenberg. This version uses slightly more modern English, and has some "extra" Catholic books. More recently, the WEB - the World English Bible was posted on Project Gutenberg. This is a much more modern English version, and has some minor commentary on some specific translation issues. It is my current favorite public domain version.
In my opinion, all versions of the Bible should be public. Sure, making a Bible translation is time consuming and expensive. Christian organizations should eat the cost. I mean, the Christian imperative is the Great Commission - teach all nations. The Great Commission does not say you must keep tight control over the Bible. Nor does it say you must make great steaming gobs of money with this best-seller. They can still make paper editions available, and charge for it. But getting the Bible out in electronic form can allow a wide audience to customize the experience. This can be a make-or-break difference, as it was for me. So, there's no excuse.
While i have a license to an electronic copy of the New Revised Standard Version, a very modern and readable translation, the license does not allow me to do whatever i want with it. So despite having paid more for it than all the paper Bibles i own combined, i was not able to put it on my Palm Pilot and just read it. It's stuck on the computer i bought it for, and that's that. That makes it good for certain reference uses, and only when i'm at home, and the computer (now 19 years old) is working. I also have a paper copy of this version. It's in very good condition, which just shows that i've hardly used it.
Reading the Bible on a computer may not be for you. Maybe paper is for you. I'm just relating what worked for me. Now that i've read it, i may put a new copy on my Palm, optimized for looking up references. Or maybe not. The main thing that seems to be good for is refuting Bible thumpers who hit you over the head with a verse out of context. While it may be fun to argue, these people are seldom convinced of anything, and more heat than light is generated.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Christmas Coping
Many people get aggravated at Christmas time. Here are some things i do to cope.
My Christmas tree doesn't go up until the weekend before Christmas. I leave the season of Advent for Advent. The tree stays up for two weeks. It stays up for the 12 Days of Christmas (though where this particular tradition comes from is beyond me). Two weeks lets me take it down on a weekend. I have no outside ornaments. It's a fake tree, and so it's the same one every year. The lights are only on from about sunset to about 9 pm. I'm not contributing to significant light pollution. I'm not consuming mass quantities of electricity.
Last year, i wasn't home much over this Christmas period. We spent the time at my mother-in-law's. So, no tree at home at all.
The hustle and bustle of buying presents has been diminished dramatically in my greater family. By mutual consent, we only give gifts to children. So, i'm not wondering what to get adults who already have everything they want, since, if they wanted something, they could certainly just buy it. And, they'd get the exact thing they wanted, rather than just more or less the thing they wanted.
All of this has taken the pressure off of the season, and has made it much more pleasant. My favorite Christmas music is now 'Jingle Bells' - which is about winter. This shouldn't be offensive to anyone. Unless, you've heard it way too much. My solution is to avoid listening to the radio, and do minimal shopping at stores. The Internet lets me shop in a quicker, more fuel efficient manner, and the stuff appears at my doorstep. My iPod only knows how to play things i want to hear. This year, i've learned to play Jingle Bells on the violin. There's a minimal sense of accomplishment, which is better than nothing.
When traffic is slow because of a little snow, i put a little more space between myself and others, and limit my speed against the conditions (can i stop in time?). If it takes a little longer, that just means i get to hear another podcast. This lets me enjoy the snow.
Your life is in your hands. You can do it with a hostile attitude, but there's no value-add.
My Christmas tree doesn't go up until the weekend before Christmas. I leave the season of Advent for Advent. The tree stays up for two weeks. It stays up for the 12 Days of Christmas (though where this particular tradition comes from is beyond me). Two weeks lets me take it down on a weekend. I have no outside ornaments. It's a fake tree, and so it's the same one every year. The lights are only on from about sunset to about 9 pm. I'm not contributing to significant light pollution. I'm not consuming mass quantities of electricity.
Last year, i wasn't home much over this Christmas period. We spent the time at my mother-in-law's. So, no tree at home at all.
The hustle and bustle of buying presents has been diminished dramatically in my greater family. By mutual consent, we only give gifts to children. So, i'm not wondering what to get adults who already have everything they want, since, if they wanted something, they could certainly just buy it. And, they'd get the exact thing they wanted, rather than just more or less the thing they wanted.
All of this has taken the pressure off of the season, and has made it much more pleasant. My favorite Christmas music is now 'Jingle Bells' - which is about winter. This shouldn't be offensive to anyone. Unless, you've heard it way too much. My solution is to avoid listening to the radio, and do minimal shopping at stores. The Internet lets me shop in a quicker, more fuel efficient manner, and the stuff appears at my doorstep. My iPod only knows how to play things i want to hear. This year, i've learned to play Jingle Bells on the violin. There's a minimal sense of accomplishment, which is better than nothing.
When traffic is slow because of a little snow, i put a little more space between myself and others, and limit my speed against the conditions (can i stop in time?). If it takes a little longer, that just means i get to hear another podcast. This lets me enjoy the snow.
Your life is in your hands. You can do it with a hostile attitude, but there's no value-add.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Zeno's Diet
I run the bagel club at work. It wasn't my idea. No money changes hands. A sign up sheet gets people to enter the rotation to bring them in. Donuts and bagels once a week.
This club is entirely optional. With my sales skills, it is amazing that there are any members. I mean, i can't even give away great stuff.
So, some of the members are weight conscious. So, they come up and cut a donut in half, and eat just that. Then, a bit later, they come back and cut the half in half, taking a quarter. Then, sometimes, even the quarter is cut in half, leaving an eighth.
This is Zeno's Diet. The idea is that before you can eat the whole donut, you must first eat half of it. And before you can eat the remaining half of it, you must eat half of that half, which is a quarter of it. And so on. Since there are an infinite number of steps, it is impossible to finish eating a whole donut. That's because it is impossible to do an infinite number of things in finite time.
This club is entirely optional. With my sales skills, it is amazing that there are any members. I mean, i can't even give away great stuff.
So, some of the members are weight conscious. So, they come up and cut a donut in half, and eat just that. Then, a bit later, they come back and cut the half in half, taking a quarter. Then, sometimes, even the quarter is cut in half, leaving an eighth.
This is Zeno's Diet. The idea is that before you can eat the whole donut, you must first eat half of it. And before you can eat the remaining half of it, you must eat half of that half, which is a quarter of it. And so on. Since there are an infinite number of steps, it is impossible to finish eating a whole donut. That's because it is impossible to do an infinite number of things in finite time.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Developing User Interfaces
My buddy Craig put a note up on his blog with two links talking about the same issue. One was a developer griping about how he couldn't make any progress at the big company he was working for. The other talked about how the resulting user interface was too complicated. Both are good reads.
I agree with the developer. No matter how important you might think the design is, this is no way to run a business. Eight people worked for over a year to produce a simple menu. Developers actually want to get things done. Managers don't seem to understand this. A good manager gets a good developer to achieve good performance by getting out of their way. Most managers seem to think that they have to coax, cajole, or even threaten their staff. Very strange. My own performance has now varied by a factor of about thirty, by any measure. It hasn't been a matter of motivation, or being a team player or the tools provided, or even clarity of purpose. It has been entirely how much red tape is required. The less the better. Managers seem to think of their job as important. But their job is overhead, which should be minimized.
I mostly agree with Joel on this one. For an end user application, simplicity is king. My own Ipod Shuffle has a power switch. It's a three position switch. The three positions are off, sequential, and shuffle. The off position should have been eliminated. For one thing, it's unreliable. If i pause the device, it will eventually turn itself off. When i turn it back on with the play button, it picks up where it left off. But, if i turn it off with the switch, every now and then, when i turn it back on, it starts at the beginning of the first track, or worse, it starts at the beginning of a random track (because it's pretty easy to switch it to shuffle mode). Since there's no display on the Shuffle, and since i may have 50 tracks on it, and since the fast forward isn't all that fast, it can take twenty minutes to get back to where i was. So, i don't use off anymore. The other things that should have been fixed are the fast forward and rewind features. Rewind should be able to dig into the end of the previous track. For some of the two hour podcasts i listen to, failure to start where i left off after about, oh, an hour and 50 minutes, is frustratingly painful. In fact, faced with this, i mostly either skip the rest of the program or use a real computer for the last bit. Both reverse and fast forward need to be able to speed up (by skipping more content) in some reasonable way. What did Apple do instead with the new Shuffle? They removed the built-in USB connection. Now you need an extra dohickey to put more stuff on it. Apple also seems to want to add even more DRM to their stuff. I don't use DRM content. I won't be upgrading.
I agree with the developer. No matter how important you might think the design is, this is no way to run a business. Eight people worked for over a year to produce a simple menu. Developers actually want to get things done. Managers don't seem to understand this. A good manager gets a good developer to achieve good performance by getting out of their way. Most managers seem to think that they have to coax, cajole, or even threaten their staff. Very strange. My own performance has now varied by a factor of about thirty, by any measure. It hasn't been a matter of motivation, or being a team player or the tools provided, or even clarity of purpose. It has been entirely how much red tape is required. The less the better. Managers seem to think of their job as important. But their job is overhead, which should be minimized.
I mostly agree with Joel on this one. For an end user application, simplicity is king. My own Ipod Shuffle has a power switch. It's a three position switch. The three positions are off, sequential, and shuffle. The off position should have been eliminated. For one thing, it's unreliable. If i pause the device, it will eventually turn itself off. When i turn it back on with the play button, it picks up where it left off. But, if i turn it off with the switch, every now and then, when i turn it back on, it starts at the beginning of the first track, or worse, it starts at the beginning of a random track (because it's pretty easy to switch it to shuffle mode). Since there's no display on the Shuffle, and since i may have 50 tracks on it, and since the fast forward isn't all that fast, it can take twenty minutes to get back to where i was. So, i don't use off anymore. The other things that should have been fixed are the fast forward and rewind features. Rewind should be able to dig into the end of the previous track. For some of the two hour podcasts i listen to, failure to start where i left off after about, oh, an hour and 50 minutes, is frustratingly painful. In fact, faced with this, i mostly either skip the rest of the program or use a real computer for the last bit. Both reverse and fast forward need to be able to speed up (by skipping more content) in some reasonable way. What did Apple do instead with the new Shuffle? They removed the built-in USB connection. Now you need an extra dohickey to put more stuff on it. Apple also seems to want to add even more DRM to their stuff. I don't use DRM content. I won't be upgrading.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Haiku
Welcome to dump grief
My blog Predelusional
No one will read it.
Here, spam is allowed
On that one special entry
where it’s on-topic.
My blog Predelusional
No one will read it.
Here, spam is allowed
On that one special entry
where it’s on-topic.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Heads!
Heads! You're going to have an above average day!
Over the past few weeks, i've run an experiment. In the morning, shortly after waking up, i flip a coin. It either says heads or tails. In fact, the coin i use has no possibility of landing on the edge. I've told myself that if it says heads then i'll have a good day. If it says tails, then i'll have a below average day. There are no average days with this scheme. The idea is to track the coin toss, to see how good a predictor it really is.
During the first week, i was surprised at how good a predictor is was. During the second week, i made extra sure that i used the same coin, for fear that the magic was only present in the first, one and only magic coin. And, i took extra care not to toss the coin more than once in a day, lest the coin become tired, or something else might happen to prevent it's magic from working. More on the magic coin in a moment. During the third week, i was looking for a coin with heads on both sides. These days were clearly better.
Well, they were better except for today. This afternoon, i feel the weight of the flu on me again, and i had the runs a couple times - quite painful, and it left me drained. The coin said heads. Well, the coin was tossed in the morning, and the morning was really quite good. After all, i'd had a good night's sleep. Let's see what the coin says now about the afternoon: Heads again. Well, maybe i'm under the weather, but i can still be upbeat, right? Yes, and that's why i'm looking for a coin with heads on both sides.
Superstition is easy to generate. And, when looking for patterns, you are very likely to find them, even if they do not exist. When you look up at the stars, there are at least three dippers. The Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major), the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor), and the Pleiades (M45) all have a dipper pattern. The stars are random, but here's a repeating pattern of not just two or three stars, but Seven Stars. How likely is that?
The coin i'm using is a program on my Palm Pilot. Now, i have two Palms. They're both quite old, and getting unreliable. I use one as a backup for the other. So they have identical programs and data. The better of the two is used as the primary. I recently switched primary and secondary. The other one hasn't gotten any better... The upshot is that i could probably get a program that always says Heads. I'm a web programmer, and could put up a trivial program that does this. In fact, any static web page will do. So when you want to know how your day will turn out, look up this web page. Your answer has been conveniently placed at the top, and in the title.
Over the past few weeks, i've run an experiment. In the morning, shortly after waking up, i flip a coin. It either says heads or tails. In fact, the coin i use has no possibility of landing on the edge. I've told myself that if it says heads then i'll have a good day. If it says tails, then i'll have a below average day. There are no average days with this scheme. The idea is to track the coin toss, to see how good a predictor it really is.
During the first week, i was surprised at how good a predictor is was. During the second week, i made extra sure that i used the same coin, for fear that the magic was only present in the first, one and only magic coin. And, i took extra care not to toss the coin more than once in a day, lest the coin become tired, or something else might happen to prevent it's magic from working. More on the magic coin in a moment. During the third week, i was looking for a coin with heads on both sides. These days were clearly better.
Well, they were better except for today. This afternoon, i feel the weight of the flu on me again, and i had the runs a couple times - quite painful, and it left me drained. The coin said heads. Well, the coin was tossed in the morning, and the morning was really quite good. After all, i'd had a good night's sleep. Let's see what the coin says now about the afternoon: Heads again. Well, maybe i'm under the weather, but i can still be upbeat, right? Yes, and that's why i'm looking for a coin with heads on both sides.
Superstition is easy to generate. And, when looking for patterns, you are very likely to find them, even if they do not exist. When you look up at the stars, there are at least three dippers. The Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major), the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor), and the Pleiades (M45) all have a dipper pattern. The stars are random, but here's a repeating pattern of not just two or three stars, but Seven Stars. How likely is that?
The coin i'm using is a program on my Palm Pilot. Now, i have two Palms. They're both quite old, and getting unreliable. I use one as a backup for the other. So they have identical programs and data. The better of the two is used as the primary. I recently switched primary and secondary. The other one hasn't gotten any better... The upshot is that i could probably get a program that always says Heads. I'm a web programmer, and could put up a trivial program that does this. In fact, any static web page will do. So when you want to know how your day will turn out, look up this web page. Your answer has been conveniently placed at the top, and in the title.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
What to get me for Xmas
No, i'm not a topologist, but this is really cool, if expensive. It's a Drinking Mug Klein Bottle. Doubles as a barometer, for spooky weather prediction. One can even drink tea in it, though reading tea leaves won't predict the weather with as much reliability.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Monday, Monday
Yesterday was a day off at the biggest of the big three US Automotive companies. We got the day off to vote, which took all of a half hour. One supposes that if i had to vote in the morning or evening, then it would have taken much longer. If that's the price of democracy - having a day off from time to time, i suppose that's OK.
In any case, today feels like a Monday. Which means that this week has two Mondays. When i mentioned this to a random passer by at the soda vending machine, he said, "Well that's not right. We ought to have two Fridays." To which, i replied that this Monday we had this week on Monday was also a Friday. Figure that one out.
To have two Fridays in a week, you have to take off, not Tuesday, but Wednesday. This avoids having a day that is both the beginning of the week and the end of the week at the same time. Naturally, if you have a Wednesday off, you complain that you can't really do anything with it, like go up North and do some wilderness trip in a canoe or something, and it just breaks up the week for nothing. If you figure out some solution to this dilemma, let me know.
In any case, today feels like a Monday. Which means that this week has two Mondays. When i mentioned this to a random passer by at the soda vending machine, he said, "Well that's not right. We ought to have two Fridays." To which, i replied that this Monday we had this week on Monday was also a Friday. Figure that one out.
To have two Fridays in a week, you have to take off, not Tuesday, but Wednesday. This avoids having a day that is both the beginning of the week and the end of the week at the same time. Naturally, if you have a Wednesday off, you complain that you can't really do anything with it, like go up North and do some wilderness trip in a canoe or something, and it just breaks up the week for nothing. If you figure out some solution to this dilemma, let me know.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Failed Supidity Test
So, i took this test of stupidity, and failed it pretty badly. Most people did much better. In fact, only 8% scored less stupid than i did. I just don't get it.
I did a few experiments. Apparently, nine planets is the answer they're looking for. I thought was just being funny.
I studied hard for my blood test, and got an A+. Clearly, it pays to study.
I did a few experiments. Apparently, nine planets is the answer they're looking for. I thought was just being funny.
I studied hard for my blood test, and got an A+. Clearly, it pays to study.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Superhero
Cool.
| You Are Batman |
 Billionaire playboy by day. Saving the world by night. And you're not even a true superhero. Just someone with a lot of expensive toys! |
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
No Prints for the Prince Needed
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain is available on Libravox as audio. It is read by John Greenman, who has an excellent voice and delivery.
The book itself is a classic, must read, or at least listen. I was able to mostly listen to just one 20 (or so) minute chunk per day. A the end, though, i pretty much had to find out how it turned out. Should i say it has a happy ending? No. I won't. Feel free to consider the ending a mystery.
The basic plot is that Prince Edward of England switches with a poor boy who happens to look like him. A complication is that the King is ill. The interesting thing is that the Prince gets to see how the other half lives, and acts on it. Another interesting thing is the footnotes. It gives the work the feel of non-fiction, making one wonder just exactly what was, and what wasn't made up. Maybe it's non-fiction, and it really happened 1547 as narrated. You decide.
The book itself is a classic, must read, or at least listen. I was able to mostly listen to just one 20 (or so) minute chunk per day. A the end, though, i pretty much had to find out how it turned out. Should i say it has a happy ending? No. I won't. Feel free to consider the ending a mystery.
The basic plot is that Prince Edward of England switches with a poor boy who happens to look like him. A complication is that the King is ill. The interesting thing is that the Prince gets to see how the other half lives, and acts on it. Another interesting thing is the footnotes. It gives the work the feel of non-fiction, making one wonder just exactly what was, and what wasn't made up. Maybe it's non-fiction, and it really happened 1547 as narrated. You decide.
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