Category Archives: Geekery

The Number Thing

October 7, 2015 8:31 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

I am fascinated by numbers and sequences of numbers. It’s a very odd feeling, sometimes, when dealing with numbers and being disappointed or giddy simply because of the sequence they present in.

For example, when closing the store, I use deposit tickets and I look at those numbers and sometimes, I find myself disappointed because I won’t get to use a number because I’m not closing the next night. For example, I would be using ticket number 1233 and be disappointed not to be using 1234.

I like round numbers and prime numbers and √-1. 13 is my lucky number! I like Π and C and XIII. I use Δ daily in my notes. I love the Fibonacci sequence (0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34) and the golden ratio (φ) and seeing it in nature!

Math is the core of our very understanding of everything and anything! Btw, there’s an XKCD for that… there always is!

XKCD 435

Posted in: Awesomeness, Geekery, Random

The Awakening

December 20, 2012 10:39 PM ⋅ 2 Comments ⋅

Wishing tomorrow (12/21/2012) was real. I would adore seeing Ryumyo tomorrow, all over the news!

ryumyo

I would welcome the Sixth World with open freaking arms.

Posted in: Gaming, Geekery

Uh oh, I’ve started something…

September 30, 2012 7:08 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

As many of you already know, we went to the Lego store at Castleton Square Mall for my birthday. It was a total kick-ass experience. I want to do it again. I need more pick-a-brick! Here’s a picture of our haul:



[click to enlarge]

Read More

Posted in: Awesomeness, Geekery, Lego, Toys

HP Laptop

September 15, 2012 11:58 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

I’ve had a week to experience this laptop. I’m not exactly happy. I don’t normally return items, but this one is going back. The main thing I’m not happy with is the processor. It has an AMD A8-4500m processor. It was advertised as a quad core, but this is only a simulated quad core. It was also listed as 3.0GHz. Windows says it’s a 1.9GHz in it’s system listing. It has Turbo Core, which is supposed to bring it up to 2.8GHz, but it’s still a 1.9. It shouldn’t have to be overclocked to get the advertised speed. Using AMD Overdrive to examine my actual clock, it’s getting 2.3 MAX no matter what I do. It’s not even as good as an Intel i3! I love AMD, but this makes me question my brand loyalty. How can you put something like this out with the competition of an i5 being standard these days?

My old laptop had a 1.8GHz, solid. It also only had 2GB of RAM. This new one has 6, but really, it’s not obvious where it counts.

The only things that I love about this computer are the things that should be standard on any computer – a working headphone jack and fan for example.

I do like the backlit keyboard. That’s spiffy as hell. But apparently, I can’t have that and the 17 inch screen that I am so used to. This is a 15.6 inch wide screen, too rectangular for my tastes. I’ve lost too much real estate vertically with this smaller screen.

The Beats audio is very nice. I like the placement of the USB ports. But I’m not thrilled about it and that’s enough not to keep it.

Posted in: Geekery

no post this weekend

September 9, 2012 10:46 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

I’m too busy playing with the newest addition to our family. Her name is Singularity. She’s a smokin’ fast, custom HP laptop. A little smaller than I’m used to, but perhaps by next week, I’ll be able to review her.

Also, this weekend went by waaay too fast.

Posted in: Awesomeness, Geekery

Reading is Fundamental

August 11, 2012 9:02 PM ⋅ 5 Comments ⋅

I hope everyone knows this phrase: Reading is Fundamental. Back in my day, we had days in the library where we could choose a free book. (Does that even happen anymore?) Anyway, the point is not about free books, even though those are totally awesome. Or about the equally awesome Scholastic book fairs. This is about people (who are of an age to know better) not knowing how to read.

This week, in the internets, a website was killed. It didn’t die, it was flat out murdered, in cold blood by people who write and therefore should be able to read.

First of all, I’m going to leave this link right here. It is the Amazon.com Help page for lending books. OH MY GOD! AMAZON IS HELPING PEOPLE STEAL!?!? (I hope your sarcasm detector pegged there…)

LendInk was a website, much like MeetUp, where people with similar tastes could lend their digital books. It made connections. We should be used to that, what with Facebook being so bloody popular. So, say that Josephine Person wanted to read a book by someone and that book was lendable via Amazon or B&N. This website would find her a person, say Jack Otherperson, who had the book and hadn’t lent it to anyone. Jack and Josephine would be able to contact each other and then Jack could lend the book to Josephine through the website where he purchased the book. If Jack lends his copy to Josephine, he can’t lend it again later to anyone else but after 2 weeks, he gets it back. Is this really that hard to understand?

I’m going to complain about a few specific points here, so if Amazon Direct Publishing doesn’t interest you, here’s some pictures of cats.

My e-book is lendable. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that my paperback version is too. Ha ha. Do you know why it’s lendable? Because that is part of the contract I signed with Amazon to publish the Kindle version. Do you know how I know that? Because I read all of the terms of the agreement.

Why did I read all of the terms? Because this is my book. And I read it again this week, just in case something had changed. Why? Because this is my book. And as a self-published author, it’s my responsibility to read contracts and protect my copyright. No one else does this for me.

Here’s the part that is really ridiculous. This lending could have been making money for the authors, if they had been paying attention. As part of the KDP Select program, authors make money when their books are borrowed through the Amazon Prime program. You have to opt-in (because heavens forbid you might have to opt-out when you sign up for something).

Since this is really getting out of hand, here’s the tl;dr:
Many writers, who we expect to be masters of word and context, are apparently just stupid.
Here’s a list of some of them: LendInk taken down by asshole indie authors.

In conclusion (because you’ve ever heard me speak the last on anything), borrow my book, lend out my book, ask me for a free copy of my book. I just want it read.

Posted in: Geekery, Industry

SDCC and other current things

July 28, 2012 10:06 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

With all the cool news I’m finally hearing/seeing from SCDD12, I am totally jelly. I need to go there. Between that and my lack of attendance at Gen-Con, my nerd cred is in danger…

I’m currently watching The Nerdist on BBCA and this one guy just described the test footage from the up-coming Ant Man, and I want to see this now. I’ve never been a fan of Ant Man, much less in the recent The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. But with the whole running down the gun to beat up the guy, that sounds awesome!

All right. We can now turn to my shame. I have read the 50 Shades trilogy. Sort of. I read the first two as the original Twilight fan fiction they were, the third I read as published (because the fan fic pdf I found was too hard to follow; I wasn’t willing to put that much work into it). Admission made, I have this to say: I’ve read smuttier fanfics elsewhere on the internet. AND!!! Oh, let’s not forget the “and”… I’ve figured out why this is so popular! It feeds the stereotypical woman need to “fix her man.” Let’s just say it’s a stereotype for a reason, shall we? When you have someone that f’d up, sex + marriage + baby doesn’t fix them. Basic psychology there. Mommy-porn indeed…

Last, but very much not least, because I still feel very bad about it… in celebration of Caturday, my kitties got pedicures today and boy did I mess that up. I’ve never cut a nail as short as I did today on my baby girl. Devi was so upset and it wouldn’t stop bleeding! It finally did stop, but I still feel bad! So, as consolation, here’s a picture of my baby girl:

Listening: The Nerdist (Toy special)
Mood: Feeling a little guilty for my cat’s pain

Posted in: Caturday, Geekery, Reviews