today this article was in the Dutch newspaper “spits” commenting on illegal fireworks from Belgium.
Monthly Archives: December 2005
ok, this goes too far
I just went to see my microbiology-professor to hand in my protocol.
Walking there, I spot him with 2 students, explaining an ultracentrifuge to them.
The following conversation took place:
Me: “Hello! Can I give you my protocol right away? I was in the building and before I forget to bring it tomorrow for the exam I thought, I better leave it here where it belongs”
Him: “You know the exam takes place today”
Students: *snicker*
Me: *makes big eyes*
Him: “It was you suggesting this date if I remember you right.”
Students: *laugh*
Me: “Yes, of course, I just confused myself… err.. thanks and till later”
I walked away with a most unpleasant feeling. How can one be so confused???
Even worse: What, if I had not decided to pass by and hand in my protocol?
What if I had not confused my workshifts at the helpdesk? initially I planned to work from 10 o’clock till 1900..
Someone out there really loves me and takes care of me! I love this life :D
On the other hand, that’s probably just the usual chaos that I tend to accumulate around me ;)
Lebensbejahender Skeptizismus
Deutschlandradio gestern Nachmittag, Thema: Michael de Montaigne:
Der Autor dieser Kommentare war wirksam in einer Zeit, die durch Hexenverbrennungen und ähnliche Glanzleistungen zu recht zweifelhaftem Ruhm gekommen ist.
“…eine Gesellschaft, der Plato den Rücken gekehrt hätte, sie besitze kaum noch einen humanen Wert. Schlimmer noch, ihr sei der Sinn für das Gute, die Weisheit, abhanden gekommen.
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friends
What’s a friend good for?
Sometimes, they know you better than you yourself, because they see you unbiased and tell you honestly what they see. Even your own mirror will lie to you but a friend is always sincere.
It might hurt if you have to face reality all of a sudden or even the truth.. but isn’t it better like this? I’d rather be unhappy but certain than happy on the basis of false assumptions.
We don’t know either, but we plan to find out!
Many cultures believe in the concept of enlightenment. They achieve this through meditation, the use of drugs or both.
All methods try to achieve the same goal of clearing the conscious mind of thought to access the unconscious mind.
However, the seventeen century french philosopher Descartes famously stated “I think, therefore I am!”
This was in conclusion that he could not doubt his existence for that very fact.
So do the enlightened doubt their existence? Do they indeed, exist? Doubt itself is a thought, so does it even bother them?
French Philosophers make my head hurt!
I found this in a Banner leading to “The Psychonautical Society”
www.psychonautical.org
It looks like a mushroom-worshipping community of some sorts…
Man, I am so happy I don’t do drugs anymore.. this constant questioning is so tiresome :D
cat manners
I just learned that when you live with a siemese cat, it is not enough just to give it water (in a bowl, how undignified…)
No, Siepke demands fresh water, poured into a glass for him. Damn aristocats ;)
a whole new world
With everybody talking about Ajax and the “new internet” I feel kinda silly these days.
It feels as if a group of openSource developers and some Microsoft officials (plus some sponsors, of course) had accidentially agreed on something common and all of a sudden hell broke loose.
This is not “hyping” or “bloating” anymore, this is induced mass hysteria!
It will be better, nicer, prettier, easier, fuller, more colorful, more useful, more.. more more more… *bangs his head against the wall in happiness* – Reminds me of early Microsoft advertisement campains – Steve Ballmer shouting “WINDOWS! WINDOWS! WINDOWS!” like a madman.
I just hope it will happen fast and that the “old and non-pretty internet” that will remain will become the silent and intelligent place again that I got to know 12 years ago when I got my first modem :D
too early
Standing in front of the sink and brushing my teeth I realized that this whole business (note: I hate brushing my teeth, somehow) is much more pleasant when one has the water running.
Of course, this is an economic/environmental disaster but still, I am curious why this feels so much nicer.
Thoughts of prehistoric humans refreshing themselves on small mountain springs came top my mind and I almost choked on toothpaste laughing ;)
I decided not to try driving the car yet and get another coffee instead. :) I might start hunting them down on the highway or something like that.
Note to self:
When you have to get up at 6:30 in the morning, don’t overdo training the night before.
long range wireless lan
Sometimes when I find the time, I play with wireless lan components, trying to find out how to enhance the reach of my wireless network using self-made antennas, professional antennas,
tweaking wlan-cards or modifying a router (link) to get a couple of meters more out of the network or to be able to transmit from the basement go the attic.
Using 2 modified Linksys-Routers and 2 of the cAntennas, I was able to get a wireless link over more than 1km.
But the guys at Defcon seriously overdid it this time, breaking their own world record from last year, where they achieved a 55 mile wireless link.
More than 200 km of wireless connection without amplification!
The final result was a full 11 Mbps data transfer rate over a distance of 125 miles, a new world record for an unamplified wireless networking connection.
I just love extreme technology :D
See the details at wifi-shootout and for details go to the blog of the team at http://pasadena.net/shootout05/