Nick's Journal

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I think I just survived a fairly major earthquake (in my opinion) while on the 19th floor. Yay? Now to try to get back to sleep.

So apparently in Taipei the Pop channel in the hotel system plays The Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams. I am now officially weirded out.
ETA: It appears the Pop Channel isn't so much "pop" as "80s", which is fine, and much less disconcerting. Although on further contemplation it might be the "cheap to license" channel. hmm.

Just got in to Taipei
Ugh, dead. Over 24 hours of travel.
On the up side, His Dark Materials is almost exactly one flight from IAD to NRT long. I was reading the last page as the wheels touched down. Free inet this time, yay. I'll have some time to look around tomorrow, might try to hit the Jade Market, but I have to get some work done. Will hopefully post when coherent.

I need to clean out my backpack more often. I just found 3 quid 77 and 3 euro-pennies. Where the heck did I get 3 euro-pennies?
Also? Mobile devices need a standard plug. Right now my ebook reader and my phones share one, but my camera takes a different one, and won't charge at all. WTF?

ETA: and now I'm packed. yay? (Well, aside from a few random electronic bits that are still charging/whatever)

I thought I saw a tank.
I did, I did see a tank.

W.T.F.?
ETA: pics probably inbound, looks like it was a SdKfz 2 Kettenkrad

Installed a faucet.
Wasn't too hard, does not leak, yay?

Infamous seems to be good if a bit short so far. Hopefully the ending won't suck.
Watched The Kingdom, it wasn't terrible, kinda depressing though.

I run across the oddest articles, including this study on Why I Will Never Have a Girlfriend in theory by an AI undergrad at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence.

Also, FFXIV?!?!?!

PS: Best March Ever

"U.N. command rejects N. Korean nullification of Korean War truce "
I appear to be missing something fundamental here. Did the UN really say No You Can't Break The Truce?

After watching La Femme Nikita it occurs to me that I don't know how to alphabetize it. Do I ignore the La, as I would if the title were in English?
On an unrelated note, I found both the best "Post Pics!" image ever:

and a related video, Here. The video is probably not work safe, and requires sound.

If you are at work, near work, or have not seen Deadwood, by no means should you click on This youtube link c*********!

Random links
This is the best oath I've ever heard, containing such gems as "May false witnesses die of bad diseases, be bitten by crocodiles, be drowned." and "May we be seized with madness, dumbness, blindness, deafness, leprosy, and hydrophobia."

I have seen some of the conundrums listed here, but I had not previously seen them all. It's an odd article by the name of "13 things that do not make sense".

If reality TV was more like Britains Got Talent I might actually *gasp* watch it! (This is the video of the singer who is mocked before she starts singing, I've seen several folks post it, but I think it's worth reposting)

And of course, last but not least, The Best Workplace Safety Video Ever(tm).

Picked up the new Dresden Files book today (Turn Coat). I've already finished it, and promptly lost it (hah found it!), I kept track of the bookmark though! Par for the course, brain candy, not bad though. If anyone wants to borrow it ping me.

I ran across this link to an article about Classified Trash which is quite entertaining, if somewhat obnoxious. The "punch line" as it were is "encrypted" into the text of the article in a manner similar to steganography.

I'm most of the way through The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton. I find it much less annoying than most of his work, which tends towards a brazillion plot threads, which may or may not converge in the next thousand pages.

The Beef Stroganoff I made turned out quite well, though I think next time I will try for a bit more flavor in the sauce.

I suspect I start to ramble when I get sufficiently tired.

ETA: and I knew there was something I was forgetting. I ran across a gallery of pictures taken at The Armory in San Fran which is now owned by a studio of ill repute, here. The pictures are work safe pretty much. Apparently once a month they open the building to tours, which is strange.

I'm not sure I agree, but the guys behind Freakonomics always have an interesting view.

My car is paid off!
Win!
I wonder if the brilliant Bank of America agrees.
I wonder what address the brilliant Bank of America has for me.
I wonder if Bank of America's phone system works, it appears not.
How are they still in business?

In which VDOT fails to suck. WTF?

Maybe this is why UPS sucks....
"SECAUCUS,
NJ, US 03/09/2009 4:01 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN "