Absence from the Internets

I've been computing at home very little lately. I've gone a week without playing Warcraft. Or any game, in fact (ok, some *flash' games, but they don't count). How? My work laptop has a nice new minty fresh install that I'm not going to sully with unnecessary installs, and the components for my pc-in-potentia are delayed. Very delayed.

I've tried watching DVDs instead (mostly comedy), but unless the source material is stellar, I loose interest. The passive entertainment thing doesn't really do it for me anymore. I've been noodling around on the synth a lot more lately, which is good, but depressing - music is not like riding a bike. Take two long a break and you might remember how to spin the pedals, but not steer, change gear, brake... Still, I had a zone-out moment playing the synthy line from "Everything in it's Right Place" by Radiohead, hasn't happened me in too long. It's very magical, your body is making very controlled movements to produce sound, but you don't think about it at all - you don't think about much of anything, you just feel how the song makes you feel, and retreat inside yourself a litte. Well that's how it is for me.

Entirely coincidentally to the whole non-gaming thing (seriously, I'm not being glib. Not there either), I've started getting up at... 7am. Regardless of bedtime. Turns out I could be a closet morning person after all - I feel more energetic, and I get more work done. I've a feeling it's got to do with the transition to Summer Time, and the feeling of spring that's in the air. That's during the day time. Now when I've had about 4 hours shut-eye in the last 24, things start to become hazy. I apologise in advance in case this exposition on particle physics has gone a little off track.

DRM is Killing Music T-Shirt

Spread the word (or state the obvious?) for only $8.

The same wonderful folk who gave us the Creative Commies parody t-shirt form last year make yesterdays BoingBoing featured send-up wearable.

The source art is freely available from the page to do with as you wish. - is it evil to think "

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The Frigid Suicides

Blue skies and clear on a Monday - where's my pathetic fallacy? Hmm, that sounds like a good song title.

It sounded like the end of the world this morning at about 8am. Actually it felt quite a lot like it too. It's that time of year up here when things can't decide if they want to freeze or melt, so vacillate between the two for a few weeks before committing to anything. It sounds harmless enough, but I tell you, it's treacherous. If the slick and shininess of the footpath isn't plotting to land you on your coccyx, then the snow-which-melted-to-water-which-froze-to-ice (I'm sure there's a Finnish word for that) decides that it's got nothing left to live for, in this new warm world, and casts itself into the void, seven stories up, plummeting to a smashy death on pavements below. Pavements populated by people!

Obviously this kind of dangerous icicle suicide can't be tolerated, so frequently (though why before eight Lord, why?) teams of intrepid euthanisers hit the roofs of the town with snow shovels, pushing half-way depressed ice-cubes over the edge.

And that's why it was noisy this morning.

So yes, it's Monday, and yes it's still not Summer, but reflect on your good fortune - you might have been an icicle.

The things we learn

So we had a short but memorable little St Patrick's day party at my place, during which we discovered

*People need little excuse to get drunk

-"So who is St Patrick anyway?"

*You should be careful who you allow to sit at the computer

-I am now aware of the practice of testicle enlargement.

*Latvian Liquor makes people slightly evil.

-Alex's initiation of new arrivals, with an ancient "tradition" involving taking a shot to St Patrick after making a silent wish for what you want. On your knees. In front of a candle. Bizarre.

*People are willing to believe almost anything where alcohol is involved.

-Corrollary of above.

*The apartment downstairs from us is no longer vacant.

-The new tennant introduced himself, and his desire to add police officers to the proceedings at 10.30.

Very educational for a party, eh?

technorati tags: St, Patrick's, Day, Helsinki, Party

Chinese youth playing socialist MMORPG

I found this story over on digg.com - as someone who spends maybe a little too much time playing these kinds of games, it's interesting to see.

"For beginners, sewing and mending socks is the only way to increase experience and to upgrade," said Jiao Jian, a six-grade pupil in Yuexiu District, quoted by the newspaper.

"Every time you are promoted to a higher level, your clothes will become more average," he said.

Games are massively underestimated as a vector of culture and learning. The US military have been using games for years to keep soldiers in a battle ready state of mind (since they got a special version of Doom II).

The emergence of "serious" games (ie games with a message or motive) is something to monitor closely.

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Demoing to Michael Caine

Yesterday saw me wander out half way to Espoo to demo our project to a bunch of interesting and interested people. I'm sure it's not a uniquely software issue, but nothing seems to please the gods of software quite so much as striking their flock with the dreaded "demo effect".

What was that quotation - "As private parts to wanton boys are we to the Gods. They play with us for their sport". Flys? Oh. Em. Never mind.

To add to the disconcernment, one of those in attendance looked the spitting image of Michael Caine, and another like Kevin Kline (and was American). I kept expecting them to break into some kind of routine.

Anywhoo, we recorded some videos of the system in action to cover just such an eventuality, and I always look slightly confused, and in anticipation of random acts of, well, acting, so it all went well.

St Patrick's Day tomorrow. While now it's mostly an excuse to drink oneself to oblivion on dyed beer in kitchy bars, it wasn't till 1995 that bars were allowed to open on the day in question in Ireland (no alcohol allowed on a Holy Day). Not a lot of people know that, as the guy in the meeting didn't say.

On any given Sunday

Ahoy-hoy,

The last few weekends have seen myself and the indomnitable ter-Minh-ator (above) mosey out north from Helsinki , past fields of snow and pine trees, to a frozen lake whose name escapes me just now, for a spot of cross country skiing.

Minh said it well earlier, it's like swimming - it's not hard on the body, but it's bloody hard work. We reckon we came up a little short of 10km in an hour, which isn't bad for my third time on skiis.

Today was one of those days when Helsinki really is one of the nicest places on earth to be. Vast blue skies and fresh powdery snow reflecting the light, pleasant temperatures (minus two in the sunshine isn't as cold as it sounds), blessed sun, and a large flat expanse only sparsly littered with fellow skiers or skaters lending itself to a strange feeling, like solitude and solidarity all at once.

That and I didn't fall over today, not even once - yay for me - so I was feeling quite accomplished, swaggering a little maybe, on the way back to the car, when we came across a bunch of tiny Finnish kids taboggoning down a slope. Except tabogganing doesn't do it justice. The slope was very bumpy, and the maniacs were being launched a foot or two in the air with each and every jump on the way down - a considerable distance when you're only two feet tall. Respect.

Not for the agoraphobic (taken last week, when it was a bit overcast).

Seeing families out there all skiing together on a Sunday strengthens my gut feeling that Finns in general are just more active than we Irish slobs.

And now I have to stop procrastinating and tidy my room.

technorati tags: skiing, helsinki