Design rulez

Sometimes, you just instinctly know immediately that what you are seeing is not just new but revolutionary. That it is really going to change something, completely. Because it is simply closer to the natural way to do it. The way it was meant to be.

This has to be the coolest thing since the mouse. Seriously.



I mean, not only altering as you hold down a modifier key. No. It's notes, numerals, special symbols, HTML codes, mathematical functions. Colors and Animation!

Lights! Camera! Action!

I want it, I want it, I want it. Now!

Wannabe

Q: So, how much of a geek wannabe am I?

A: Well, I got giddy just reading that a beta of FreeBSD 6 is now available.

Veeeeeee!

Riding in San Fran

Two of the many things that I would like to do, one day, are

1. own a motorcycle, and
2. live in San Francisco.

While reading up on some mildly intriguing Intel-Mac commentary this morning, I stumbled across a page which may not have cured me of these desires, but did put a serious dent in them, anyway.

It starts out as a commentary on lousy driving habits, with gems like:

Maybe just a general "Erratic & Inattentive!!" signal would work for a variety of situations. A blinking American flag light would be perfect. It would be immediately recognized internationally as a warning icon for out of control, unpredictable and self consumed behavior. Many of the right vehicles already have flags on them, albeit usually tattered to rag status. They just need prominent illumination.

and more general comments like:

America's priorities are so retarded. It's like the SuperBowl uproar and general freaking out about seeing Janet's boob pop out, from the same parents who sit their kids in front of movies featuring the Governator shooting peoples' brains out. If you'd rather have your kids know what spattered brains look like than see a woman without a shirt on, you shouldn't be having children. How did you even figure out how to have them?

But then it gets really thorough and graphical about the author's experience of a motorcycle accident, in San Fran:

Beyond being able to wash it, my hand and arm still wasn't able to do anything useful. It just hung around pitifully at my side while I watched it atrophy and wrinkle. I'd look at it and try to give it useful things it could do, watch it fail, and then sit it back in place as comfortably as possible and feed it more pain meds. It was like having grandparents move in.

Sobering stuff.

Lightning strikes

I love thunders and lightnings.

Maybe because I got so few growing up. On the rare occasion that we get some here, I stay up. Go out into the rain. Or just sit in the window. And watch in awe.

But the thing about these magnificent and beautiful spectacles is that they are actually very dangerous. Practically lethal, actually. They are nowhere as unreal as they appear. If you were to be struck by lightning, it would be devastating. But it can also be crushing to see it happen up close. I mean, seeing lightning strike in the night, somewhere over in the next valley, is only intriguing, And for like five seconds. But to see it strike someone down right in front of you. That would be terrifying. But you don't see that happen. So you think it doesn't.

Domestic violence is something that for many of us is only encountered in fiction; in books or movies. But it is striking all around us. Everyday. Without us even knowing it, most of the time. The victim feels ashamed. The attacker... I don't know what. I can't understand them. And I don't want to.

A dear friend of ours called my wife today. As soon as she heard my wife's voice, she started crying. She loves him. They have been so happy together. They had fought before, mainly over how to raise the kids. But this time, he tried to strangle her. She has deep purple marks on her neck.

She had gone to work this morning, as if nothing had happened. She didn't want to "over-react". But as she was sitting at her work, trying to feed a little piglet (long story), she suddenly started thinking "what if my daughter came to me and told her that her boyfriend had tried to choke her, but they were trying to work it out?"

That's when she called my wife.

We've done all that can be done for now. Before going to bed, my wife gave me a big hug and said "thanks for being normal".

Yeah, right. The standards for being an outstanding male seem to be coming down rapidly. Being kind to your wife, or even just not beating her, will get you an honour badge.

Oh, what a miserably low form of life mankind really and truly is.