:: Dreams and Other Chimera ::

:: 27.11.06 ::

On Newton.

Some days I wonder if his genuis is still unparalelled in the modern context. The man was a genuis. His innovations in calculus still form the primary form of advanced mathmatics. But contrast him with people who live today, he would still be a genuis, no doubt. How would his achievments advance science, however? Would he still be an innovator of mathematics and physics? Or would he have found some other area to focus his achievments? I feel that had he not come along, mathmatics would still be where it is today. Lebinitz published calculus actually before Newton did, and his notation is still used on many of the forms of equations today. I think that the gap would have been made up by now. But in the same form, could he advance on Einstein's genuis?

On the Reliability of Vehicles.

Why do my cars all break in the same way? My new(ish) car just devoloped the same fault as my old one. This enables me to be able to fix it, but come on... this is pathetic.

On Cycling in Winter.

Firstly, Don't freak on me, I actually know what I'm doing. Secondly, lower the air pressure in your tires a little bit, so that you have more surface area in contact with the ground. Thirdly, ensure that your route is mostly on sidewalks or bike paths. Then remember to go slowly, you'll be fine. Watch for big ice patches and avoid them, fresh snow is usually good, packed snow, not so good, Bare road is good, bare road that is shiny... not so good. Remember to take wide turns, and in opposition to everything you've learned to this point on a bike, don't lean into the turns.
For dress I recommend, from the bottom, Boots (I don't really believe in additional pairs of socks unless you plan on sitting still outside from long periods of time), longjohns, your pants, windpands (of some sort), A shirt, a sweater of some sort, a two part jacket (fleece/shell), 2 part ski gloves, a toque, some sort of face protection (scarf or other) a neck warmer, and then put up the hood on you jacket over your head, and finally a helmet. Thas is, of course, the important bit. That should get you there warm, today was -30 windchill before I started off into the wind, and I didn't notice. It is alot of gear to haul around, but hey, it gets you there.

On Parking Fees.

Amusingly, I have a parking pass, because biking during the night is just a little too dangerious for even me. So the parking machine ate my card the other day, and I was forced to walk down to the parking office (theres a longer story to this, but hey, I'll have to relate it some other time.) anyway, my pass was good till the end of november. The pass they gave me was good to the end of June. Course, I offered to pay for the mistake, but I guess they just didn't want it.

Curiousity.

Some woman was eying me up in the hallway today? Was it me, or my ImaRobot shirt?

5 more days of classes left, then 2 weeks of exams, and then a plane to mexiland.

James

:: James [+] ::
...

/*Severe language/grammer infractions may be contained within.*/

Qualifications.

I often qualify my words. Usually, upon speaking to others I will add some sort of qualifier to them which has two simultaineous effects. Firstly, these qualifications will often take away from the point of the sentance. Secondly, They can act to make me sound wiser. I was having a irrelevant conversation with said not crumpet from the previous crumpet post when I qualified, quite unintentionally, the wrong sentance. Never qualify a compliment, unless it really needs it. It was an unreal struggle to dig my way out of that hole. But on the whole, it brought this problem to my attention, namely that I usually qualify my statements. I resolve to not qualify statments unnessisarialy, and henceforth to speak clearly.

(It seems as unlikely to me as you that this will happen.)

On the importance of orange.

Maybe I should start wearing orange. It is a good colour to wear, and maybe it would be good to wear it. I already act the part, as some people might recall, but maybe I should look the part. I should take up a staff, and bowl and walk the length of the world, striving and people who wear orange often do. I saw such a man the other day. By saw, I suppose I should clairify, I mean that I almost ran him down on the highway. He looked proper in his orange, striding through our nation. I had heard him speak on the radio a couple days before, and though , "Wow, that is as close as I may come to divinity." I was wrong.


On Squash.

After a successful return, always recenter to the T

Now I need to go figure out what to do with my millions of dollars.... right after squash.

James

:: James [+] ::
...

I don't have much new news for you today, nor do I have any fancy metaphors to wrap it in. I learned about electron shape, handed in a computer assignment, and am to go swimming soon.

I've been in the school from the time sun came up till after the sun goes down, and later tonight I get to eat sphagetti.

My classes were dull, and slow. I need to do laundry, but can't.

That is all.

James

:: James [+] ::
...

You ever had one of those days where the world clubs you in the head like the well metaphorized baby seal, but then, once you get back up and decide to push on, everything begins to turn golden? Wacky.

Anyway, the girl that I had some ambitions with shot me down, preemptively. Not too big a deal, save that today was the day I had planned to ask her out. So after that, and some attendant fiscal therapy, I was just settling down when I ran into that girl from a couple weekends ago. Not the crumpet, but the one that I had met earlier that evening whom I had said that I would like to get to know better. So I sat down and started talking to her.

Long story short, I managed to, not ask her out, becaue that wouldn't have worked, but at least cover all my social gaffes and such, compliment her, and the like.

Now that that is over, I then went to a good class about a chunk of history that I am more genuinely interested in than some of these other plague ridden bits. Then I ran square into the study abroad stuff, and now I find myself planning trips in the spring to study in far off lands....

In an amusing aside, one of the study abroad programs is from the National Student Exchange. It amuses me that the NSE is national only for USians, and canada is almost tacked on. I could exchange to the U of C? But, quite honestly, the only canadian Unibersity on their sparse list that interested me was Simon Fraiser.

More interesting is the Study Overseas exchange. Places that I could go to that I am interested in are Iceland, Norway, South Africa, Finland, Japan, and Sweeden. No new language required, same tuition I pay here, just the cost of a plane ticket difference. I think it'd be cool. Japan, will probabally be so exhorbatant that I won't be able to afford it. And for a kick, one of the universities that I could exchange at would be in the University of Monterray, in Mazatlan. So I'd be living with my parents. How wierd would that be.

The one that has me really interested, however would be the study abroad in St Petersburg. There's only one small, niggling really, detail. I would have to take 3 consecutave term long classes to be able to qualify. Also, I couldn't choose my studies there, so I would end up with 15 credits (a full semester) toward a linguistics degree in russian, that I almost certainly couldn't use except to double major, if I wasn't in Engineering. Tiny tiny detail.

Anyway, thats today, so far.

James

:: James [+] ::
...

I've been curious today.

I went to school, and ended up sparking a huge conversation about philosophy... before classes began. What can I asy, I've read a little.

I wondered about many things, the nature of the stars and nebula, about the nature of optics, and the philosophy of light, intrinsicly and applied directly to time.

I've thought about quantum physics, and fundamental fairness. About dictators and despots. Have I learned anything? I always try to learn something from everything I do. I was talking to one of my TA's today. Our topics ranged widely, from why our prof for that class was being unfair because today, being the drop day for the class, we have no statistical indication of our performance in the class. Not a big deal for me, I hope.

I wondered about the craziness of our sothern neighbors. I also wondered about my favorite artist.

I wondered about art in general, and specific, and what makes art. And what makes Art... Art. And want makes... well, you get the picture.

And I wondered about this city. This place is crazy. That is to say, this place is different. I don't understand it, but I've had as much attention from women in recent months as I've had lack of attention in preceeding years.

It makes me think that Raven is right. It also makes me wonder weather I would be left alone or not. Probabally not.

It isn't a big deal. Its mosly just... curiousity.

For those of you wanting jucy details, there really aren't any. Lets just say that I can, when provoked, hear quite well, and be innocuous about it. It is quite shocking to me when the subject of the converstion is me, the assessment is blunt, and the point is the future disposition of who's stiitng on what chair at who's table.

Anyway, time for bed.

James

:: James [+] ::
...

Man, I've gotta be nuts to be editing my history paper, that I've put 40 or 50 hours of work into, to the soothing strains of More Human than Human by White Zombie

seriously

It may be a telling point of my personality that for about 3 years I listened to that White Zombie CD (Super Sexy Swinging Sounds) as I was falling asleep every night, and while playing first person shooters online for hours at a time after school.

Wheee.

I hope it stops snowing at some point before I start driving to E-ville tomorrow.

Also, I don't know if I'm going or not, but Alan Lightman is giving a talk tonight.

Probabally not (le sigh)

:: James [+] ::
...

What do you say?

/*May not be suitable for younger audiences*/

I am many things, and witty is not amongst them. I am not experienced, and I have never been good at saying the right thing at the right time. I am not mean spirited, and generally don't try to harm others.

I had a good day today, aside from the dithering. I slept forever, got up and chatted with my sister. I went out and climbed the wall, I taught someone how to play squash, then went out for a beer with my friend. Then he introduced me to his friend, someone who I would like to be my friend. She's cool though, and listens to similar music. Anyway, I like her, but she's attached, so for the time being, whatever.

Then I made the mistake of comming home.

What do you say.

I knew this was comming, just not how bad. My roommate's girlfriend (we'll use the nice word) had mentioned that she was looking for me to be at the party here tonight. This was enough to make me not want to go. I had known that she was trying to set me up with a friend of hers, but I never knew it would be this bad.

I came through the door, and was immediately confronted by some girl saying "Who the fuck are you?." "I live here. Who are you?" Well, they must have known that the only roomate that they hadn't met yet was me because nearly instantly the room knew I was James. So my roomate's girlfriend is on to me instantly and introducing her friend. Who reminds me of my cousin. Who is 8 years younger than me. I make some small talk (mostly listened to her story of kicking some guy in the nuts), whatever, and then go to the washroom. I figure that I can just spend the rest of the night in my room, writing my paper. My washroom is across the hall from my room, and the doors are not solid, so I know when three or four people gather in my hall and seem to be encouraging someone on. "Just go in there." "Eye of the tiger." (I doubt that any of them know the origin of that). Then "He's not in there." I begin to think to myself that comming home was a bad idea, that I would give anything to have packed my laptop with me when I left and stayed out till 3 or 4 in the morning. I finish in the washroom and go to my room, to find (Oh surprise) said girl lying on my bed.

What do you say.

I've been pondering this for a while. What do you say when she says "If you could do anything with me for one night what would you do." What do you say?

Somedays I hate people.

James

:: James [+] ::
...

Well, what can I say?

I'll say it point form, because thats pretty much how I've been writing lately.

-Aside from one down note, Edmonton was good the last time I went
--I will be comming again, to arrive at some point on Thurs. Nov 9
-Midterms we're ok, all my marks are above 80 save the one that I have the most influence left on
-I saw Raven last weekend
-My parents have made it to Mexico safely, and despite 2 close hurricanes, things are OK
-I got some of my finals moved so that I can spend 2 whole weeks there over x-mas
-I've been getting enough sleep.
-Things are cheap here (mostly cheaper thane Edmonton)
-I've actually got the paper due in a week mostly written
-I have not killed anyone despite the darwinian impulse to do so
--This is good as that darwinian impulse is a tricky one that can bite you in the butt.
-The library is quiet
--This is good as I can now study in quiet
--Which is, unfortunetly not my house.
- -Where I don't even spend enough time to shower these days
- -So I do it in the Gym, where I go at lest 6 times a week.
- -I haven't lost weight but am denser from this
-These are really the three 4 places that I exist
--School (ie actively in class)
--School (ie in the library)
--Gym
--In bed
-Us politics has occupied my thoughts recently, see comment about darwinian impulses.
-I have 7 TA's, of these I like 3
--These TA's span 3 classes
- -The rest of these ta's should be vertically displaced 10 km to give them time to reflect on their sins.
-I started a LJ, Mostly so that I could use the friends page option
-My sister cares, she really does.
-People email me, this makes me happy
-English Guinea's in Yorkshire in the 1760's were circulating underweight to the point of being worth just over 15 shillings
--The standard weight is a worth of 21 shillings
--It cost the english crown almost a million pounds to correct this
--It cost everyone else probabally close to half a million pounds
--My Paper is on coining
- -In london, not yorkshire.
-Democracy now publishes a webcast daily
-I only have 2 classes to go to tomorrow
--I only need to go to one
- -As my prof for the other doesn't know how to teach and her slides will tell me everything
- -But I'll go anyway
- -Cuz, why the heck not
- -If nothing else it'll cut into the 5 h 30 min I'll spend in the library
-Someone recalled my library books
--Which need to write my paper
- -Which is mostly written, but I'll need them anyway
- -This is ok because I have to return them the day after my paper is in.


/braindump

Requests for specific information can be directed to comments.

:: James [+] ::
...