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I woke up at about 3:30 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I began my day with some treadmill work but wasn’t into it followed by some ancillary cleaning.  I set myself to make breakfast and began reading the Gizmodo.com RSS feed at around 5:30 AM when I hit this piece on the last words of Bill Zeller, a programmer who committed suicide.  I read the piece and nearly came to tears at several points and had a single good sob when I finished it.  I sat in silence until Mike arrived and at my first attempt to say “Good morning” burst into tears.  It took me several minutes to regain my composure.  It is a rare thing that I want someone to read something but have no wish to talk about it after.

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I’d like to propose an event.  AnnaMarie Pepper, the Bucks County Council advancement and registration person and perennial ray of sunshine in the Ockanickon office has a relative very much in need of blood (I believe he’s AB+ and will take anything you throw at him) and there’ll be a blood drive at Richboro Elementary School on February 11th, from 3 PM to 8 PM. One can register at www.pleasegiveblood.org using the sponsor code of 5025.

I was hoping to have a gathering on the 12th to celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln and the 150th anniversary of the publishing of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. I invite anyone would like to join me in donating blood and replenishing vital nutrients like pork and barbeque sauce by having quality ribs at the Churchville Inn afterward.

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Date/Time: 6:00 PM, Dec 27th, 2008

Location: Pew Cottage, School at Church Farm (map), this is on the uphill side of the campus on the opposite side of the road as the athletic fields.

Cost: $10.00

Open To: Anyone who completed the 2008 camp season as a staff member or staff volunteer.

Registration: By December 26th so Dan can get food.

If interested in attending, email me so I can pass you an evite, or contact Dan Rowley.

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For the last year or so I’ve joked that I’m a Level 2 actuary and can cast magic missile.  A joke about which I don’t think anyone has yet laughed.  What once started as a joke now may become reality with NASA starting an MMO.  Besides being quite possibly the dumbest premise for an MMO I’ve ever seen except for possibly the Shakespeare MMO I can only assume that it’ll be identical to WoW except for with fantastically more ridiculous classes like Darkwater Physicist, Mathematician of the Holy Nimbus and some sort of Materials Scientist/Druid combo that allows players to transform into carbon nanotubes.

Having trouble running rocket simulations?  Slide-rule of Prediction +5!  Challenger mishap repeat?  Resurrection bitches!  I look forward to the world’s nerdiest PvP games.

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For the last year or so I’ve joked that I’m a Level 2 actuary and can cast magic missile.  A joke about which I don’t think anyone has yet laughed.  What once started as a joke now may become reality with NASA starting an MMO.  Besides being quite possibly the dumbest premise for an MMO I’ve ever seen except for possibly the Shakespeare MMO I can only assume that it’ll be identical to WoW except for with fantastically more ridiculous classes like Darkwater Physicist, Mathematician of the Holy Nimbus and some sort of Materials Scientist/Druid combo that allows players to transform into carbon nanotubes.

Having trouble running rocket simulations?  Slide-rule of Prediction +5!  Challenger mishap repeat?  Resurrection bitches!  I look forward to the world’s nerdiest PvP games.

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I’ve recently started to keep track of space missions and I’ve found the 5th Endeavour walk to be the most interesting.  Here’s the highlights:

  • Installation of 50 foot inspection pole added to the international space station (UN-in-the-sky, now with pool-skimmer attachment!)
  •  Extra long power cord for inspection pole (that way they can power the “International Space Station – Parking” neon sign)
  • “Hanging” of scientific experiments to the European Columbus lab done with help of a hammer.

The thermal shield has been cleared for landing.  I hope the rest of the shuttle has as well.

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Arthur C Clarke, the predictor of satellite telecommunications, and guy who made people shit scared of sentient computers has died in his in Columbo, Sri Lanka.  After losing Kurt Vonnegut last year we’re down to William Gibson and for emergencies JG Ballard.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get the ironic netflix ad on the AP site.

via AP