RE Countdown to the Singularity

It would probably take a little longer than three weeks. This technology, while powerful and an example of the kind of technology that would lead to the singularity (I'm assuming of the kind described by Postsingular and other sources discussed in Nanotext), this is still in it's infancy.
From what I understood of the article, the program still needs to be "hand fed" the data it uses, a major flaw as far as finding autonomy and being able to operate on its own, but it is definitely a step in that direction. Once this program is able to self-analyze is when I think we will have to get really excited. Until then I don't see it being more than a giant intuitive search engine of sorts.
Then again, what do I know? I haven't studied any of the programming involved. Just adding my two cents to the change jar.

Day 22: I've suddenly lost the will to publish this post

I don't really feel in a blogging mood right now. Some stuff came up and I just don't feel up to it today. I tried dancing and free hugging, and that helped, but not that much.

I just need something to distract me from what's got me all in a twitter.

Maybe I'll start reading The Invention of Morel for my Nanotexts class. It's worth a try I guess.

Day 21: A multimedia representation

This video was shared with me (by, who else? Ahren) and as commanded by the video, I am sharing it with the world here on my blog.

In other news, I love my Nanotexts class. It's more than just a lit class, it's a multimedia behemoth at the miniaturized level. We're utilizing a web service similar to Twitter, called Plurk. Follow this link to create one and add me: http://plurk.com/acelessthan3/invite

I'm intrigued, because I've read one of the 8 books on the reading list already, and loved it. If you're interested in looking them up, I read Rudy Rucker's Postsingular. It was interesting because it was one of those scientific thinker books that I love so much. I'm really interested to reread it with some kind of perspective other than reading it for pleasure.

I've always been fond of analyzing movies, books, people. It's just a part of the way I think. I think I've touched on this in previous posts, but I like understanding things.

Did some calculations: if we printed off all 10+ 140 character Plurk posts, 10+ 1000 word blog posts and 3000-6000 word finals by all 34 people in my Nanotexts class, it would be approximately 900 printed pages (450 both sides) in a standard 12-point font document format.

I also bought all the texts for that class online today. It cost me about $100 on Amazon, but considering it could have been closer to $200 at the college bookstore, I'll consider myself lucky. Despite that, I still spent about $50 at the bookstore for books for my other classes.

I also paid $5 for a stainless steel ring:



I think it looks good, and considering I'll actually wear it, it's worth it for five bucks. Plus it spins, which, since it's already a nervous habit of mine to spin the rings I occasionally wear as necklaces, makes it that much easier for me to have something to play with.

Finally, I think I'll end this post with a poem:

Grey skies
Rain Clouds
Radio Silence
I stare at the sticky note doodle.
My battery disconnected
and wonder
if clipped wings still fly

Day 20: A quick update

Hello all, I got back from Spring Break yesterday, and now that I'm returned to the land of the living (aka I have internet access) I'm going to resume my dear sweet blogging and hopefully figure out what I'm doing wrong with my video entries.

In the meantime though, if you'd like to see some of what I did over this spring break that took me away from the internet, check out the photos I posted on Facebook.

I was introduced to this wonderful freeware program called Picasa, and while it will never replace Photoshop, for the sake of sheer convenience and multimedia capabilities all in one simple, user-friendly program, I love it. Just like I'm loving some of the new add-ons I've installed to Firefox. One in particular that I think all of you should add is adblockerplus assuming you haven't already. It will stop any and all unwanted ads from appearing in your web browser, including but not limited to those on sites like Facebook.

Thank you to my dear Ahren for bringing these cool features to my attention.

And to all you readers (which hopefully you are reading the actual blog and not just the Facebook note RSS which loses things like links and videos *hint HINT*) I'll work on getting something creative up for tomorrow's entry.

Day 19: I think we need a break from each other... a spring break.

Yes, my laptop is named Jane. No, I'm not going to explain why; I think it's important for you to figure out the reference yourself. I'm still waiting for Jane to talk back to me...

So if you didn't watch the video (yay it uploaded!) or are on Facebook and haven't yet decided to follow Widdershin Writings (yes, that was shameless self-promotion) at its blogger home, I finished my last final this morning. Like my philosophy final yesterday, it went by so fast I'm almost worried I bombed it. In fact, I know there were 3 problems I got wrong because I turned the page to them, said to myself "What the fark?!" and moved on to the next problem.

I finished with that, finished preparing my taxes, cleaned and packed and have spent the rest of the afternoon feeling poetic, the results of which will most likely appear below.

Below:
If you didn't know this already, I name my electronics. Marshall is the name of one.

Marshall

Through a tiny lens peering
Looking you in the eye with uncanny intensity.
Take me, they say.
Take me far away from where I am so I can be with you.
The irrelevancies compound, melting under the heat of this gaze.
Say those words, so sense memory can take over.
A shudder slip-sliding down the spine
involuntary
Don’t navigate away, even as you stay in plain sight
The distance grows without any movement

Day 18: Charlie's Favorite Number

I know they probably aren't reading this, but a big birthday shout-out to my Brother and my friend Becca today. One is turning 20 and the other is turning 17! If you know Sherbert or my bubbles buddy, holla back to them.

There was supposed to be a video here, but it yet again, my camera resolution was too high and the video was too big a file to upload in a timely manner (I sat here for at least 2 hours). I'll try again tomorrow.

I'm feeling very ambivalent about my Philosophy final right now. I finished it in half an hour... which for a final just seems wrong. But at the same time, I wasn't the only one who thought it was easy, so I shouldn't be too worried right?

Grawr.

... :)?
Did I just say "Grawr?" This isn't a bad thing, but I think Ahren is beginning to affect me. I would say rub off, but the connotations of it just make the potential for innuendo too great. Either way, I'm picking up on some of his mannerisms and phrases, just like how I picked up my constant use of Saweet from Dani.

It's interesting how we do that; pick up on the characteristics of the people around us and adopt them as our own, often without it being a conscious decision.

Day 17: Saint Patrick's Day

This was actually supposed to be posted this morning, but Blogger is having trouble uploading the video. I checked the video... and I had the camera resolution set so high that it was a 3 gig video file... for about 2 minutes... Yeah... oops.

So I realized today that because I failed to post this weekend, my blog count is now exactly on time with the month of March, because I am on Day 17, and it's March 17th. Go figure.

I'm really in a strange mood right now... I kind of don't want to study or really do anything for my pending finals, it just feels so close to the end, which I'm sure many people can agree with. So many things have been happening recently it seems, and classes just seem kind of inconsequential in comparison. But, I'll hunker down eventually. Though I may not care about getting a perfect A in all my classes, it would be a complete waste of time and money for me to fail.

This picture is of a squirrel I saw one day while walking between classes. He (she?) was digging around inside the garbage can and I just found it so amusing that I had to take a picture. I was so scared that if I got too close the squirrel would notice me and run away before I could get the shot, but it worked out in the end, so I have no reason to complain I guess.

But really, I should be writing that essay for my Anthro class, wouldn't want to let my group down by not getting my part finished. But at the same time, I have until 1, and that just feels like so far away.

Day16: I took the weekend off

It's been a long weekend... full of surprises, firsts, happiness and mostly a sense of love. I didn't do diddly as far as studying for my finals goes, but I think I got something else that I needed far more.



Anyways, I wrote this poem...
And I think it's worth sharing. So here it is:

Touch of a double-edged point

An angel in disguise sits before me:
Tousle-tossed hair askew.
He carries worlds on his shoulders;
a shining sun in a population of shadows.
He wears my shirt (it looks good on him),
and his voice carries across time-zones:
a message of hope to a troubled soul.
His eyes search me as I write this
finding nothing but painted eyes,
a disguise, as I hide behind this notepad.
Our meeting was kismet –
fleeting firsts followed by many more –
for who better to help the tired tower
than the optimist empowered with support to spare?
Hands strong as his heart grip me
as time.
slips.
by.
Once again we are alone together.
The silence punctuated by smiles (and the occasional rawr)
an eternity hidden in the 5x5 confines of a quiet room.

Day 15: Thursday

I'm just waiting for tomorrow.
Not because it's Friday, and so the start of the weekend, but because it's Friday and all sorts of wonderful things will be happening.
Really, I can't wait.

Day 14: I got in

I'm really excited right now! I got into all the classes I wanted for next quarter. Sorry the video is sideways, I held the camera sideways and don't have the editing capabilities to fix it.

For anybody interested the classes I am currently enrolled in for Spring Quarter are:
English 238 Societ/Lit Nanotexts
Physics 122 Physics with Calculus II (and the accompanying lab)
Linguistics 204 Sociolinguistics
Theater 201 Intro to Cinema

Yaaaaayyy!!!
:D :) :D :)
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3s for everybody!

Day 13: Oops, I forgot

Yesterday was a good day.

Among many other happy tidings, I got my missing clothes back. Still no sign of the laundry basket that accompanied them, but I can now do Superman Saturdays again.

I also got all sorts of happy-making stuff in the mail.

There was the webcam I ordered online, the check my parents warned me would be arriving sometime this week and the WWU care package goodie bag filled with snackage.

The goodie bag also came with a note from my family. It said "Don't worry about your grades, enjoy college. Love M<3M, Kenny and Steve. O and the Dogs too." It made me wonder to myself, what about the cat? Doesn't she love/miss me too. And then I realized she probably associated me with the dogs and so considered me one of those crazy animals that so enjoyed chasing her... I kind of don't blame her for not missing me in that case.

The last thing I wanted to say was that I'm registering for classes today, wish me luck in getting into the classes I'm hoping to get into. I'll post what I end up getting later today.

Day 12: Tested by Technology

So the internet is bugging me today.

Or rather it's been bugging me for the last hour or so.

I took probably about 50 pictures during my Salsa group earlier, and whilst trying to upload them to Facebook, discovered that the Java plug-in I'm using for Firefox seems to be made of epicFAIL.

Thus, instead of using the Full Uploader and getting all the pictures at once, I have to resort to the Simple Uploader and post 5 pictures at a time. On the whole, I don't really mind. I have both the time and the patience (not to mention the stubborn perseverance) to upload them this way, it's just frustrating when I've never really had this problem before.

Maybe it's a sign that Jane (my Laptop) is getting old, or that I need to clear off some of the video and picture files to my portable hardrive (a good idea all around anyways). Either way, I feel as if technology is testing me, seeing how much I'm willing to put up with before I break and throw a tantrum.

Well let me just say this now, I'm far stronger than T gives me credit for and always feel more silly than productive throwing a hissy. Instead, I choose to blog about it in a slightly verbose and irritated manner.

Maybe I'll just take a day when I'm not busy and mess around until I get it to work.

Day 11: Rawrhren

Heeheehee.
Rawr, it means I love you in Dinosaur.
The silly boy above isn't a dinosaur per se, so he's more likely to offer you a free hug, but I think the sentiment behind it is essentially the same.

And I agree.

As humans, we are all social animals, (some admittedly more so than others) and in that respect, interpersonal contact is almost necessary to living. The great majority of people get depressed when deprived of the company of others. It's this kind of belief in human interdependency that has spawned the likes of the free hugs campaign, which has become a world phenomenon.

We can't live alone, or to put it using the more popular turn of phrase, no man is an island. We just aren't hardwired to work that way.

So I urge anybody who happens to stumble across this (or you regular readers) to go out and spread the love. Even if it's just within your household, it will make a difference.

For the past several years, I've been attending a camp through an organization called the Power of Hope, and one of the keystone ideas behind this organization is the belief in fostering a sense of leadership through the arts and the community. Go out and make your community.

Day 10: Working on something special

Rain check?
Sure.

I've always been taught the value of a good deal. Coupons, are like free money. When grocery shopping, you can save up to 50 percent on your bill. I've seen it happen.

A recent consumer study found that 53 percent of households clip coupons from the Sunday newspaper, as opposed to 35 percent from advertisements that arrive in the mail, the next most popular source as reported in the New York Times.

I don't really know where I'm going with this other than to say that a coupon can be far more valuable than it first may appear.

Day 9: Technically speaking

Technically speaking, it's after midnight, so it's Saturday, but since I've yet to go to sleep, I'll count this as the same day. That may be stretching it just so I don't feel bad about breaking my resolution to post something every day, but I'll post something in the afternoon, morning.



I'm really rather surprised I'm not dead tired right now. I was up until 2 last night helping a friend with Calculus homework and felt like a zombie all this morning. I've been running on proverbial empty all day though (at one point quite literally running) and it's seemed to have done nothing but energize me.

This is not healthy in the least.

So I propose my friend get some Clinx toothpaste from Korea so she can banish calculus to wherever it is toothpaste and plaque goes after you spit it down the sink. That said, I want to thank everyone who kept me awake by either being interesting, or keeping me moving, you know who you are. Goodnight and I'll post again "tomorrow."