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December 2nd, 2009
no girl should ever forget that she doesn’t need anyone who doesn’t need her.
marilyn monroe
marilyn monroe
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The Coronation of Napoleon, a painting by Jacques-Louis David depicting Napoleon Bonaparte's self-coronation as Emperor of France on December 2, 1804. The act took place in Notre Dame de Paris, during which Napoleon, eschewing tradition, took the crown and placed it on his own head. The nearly 10 by 6 m (32.8 by 19.7 ft) work was commissioned before the coronation and completed in 1807. |
November 30th, 2009
I'll start off by saying that this is the first "real" Thanksgiving I feel like I was able to enjoy in the last 13 years or so. My mom and step-dad flew in last Sunday. We made an actual traditional Thanksgiving spread. The entire week was just very relaxing. Finally having my own complete home, a good job (more on that later), family company, and a traditional Thanksgiving spread just made it one of the best holidays that I can remember ever having. The last time I felt this good about a holiday was 13 or so years ago when I used to go to Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings at my step moms grandparrents' house...before my step mom disallowed me from attending. Ive had family over and Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations since then, but there was never enough people for a traditional spread, so we always just did something like steak. That's nice, but I tend to be a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to my holidays. Then to have something I can feel as a normal family, just really made it. In the past its always been me and my mom or dad, and sometimes my stepmother. Never complete, and occasionally uncomfortable. Not this time. Not this time.
Work has been going good. As I said, I finally have some temporary work to do. Essentially right now, Im debugging some FPGA Verilog code. When I took my FPGA class in college my last semester, I didn't code in Verilog but VHDL, so this is quite the good learning experience for me. I come to find that Verilog is really nothing more than a mixing of C++ with Assembly considerations (microcontroller aspects to consider, most variables already defined for you as an output/input pin, etc.). Additionally, I have an actual tour lined up now that I should be starting on, possibly as soon as this week. The tour is nothing classified so I can say, briefly, what it is here: I will be creating an airplane tracking system so that a FLIR array can be tested. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling as comfortable as I would like to be at work.
I think I have decided what my life's long term calling is. It's something I've suspected all along, but has been solidly confirmed for me in these last few months. This job is good, actually, it's great! I get to create cutting edge technology that saves the lives of soldiers. It's very fulfilling work, that offers almost endless areas of technological investigation, but it isn't for me. As cool [and well paying] as the work is, I'm just not excited about it. I'm not excited to get up in the morning to go to work, I'm not excited on Sunday night to go to work. So many people are content to either work a job they hate because it pays well or to work for a pittance doing what they love, I can't do either of those things. I want it all and I have the dedication and determination to do just that. Work now, I work for someone else, so it's difficult for me to get as excited about it as I used to get for snowboarding. I looked at snowboarding as work, it was a second job for me because I competed. I loved that "job". I was working for me, every inch of my dedication added an inch directly to the end result that I could enjoy. I add an inch now, and I don't see or feel that inch is gained. Working for myself, it will be for something that I truly believe in. It will be working for every inch that can be immediately tangible. I'm a very all or nothing personality. I have learned to have a strong work ethic for even the things I may not enjoy completely, but when I've latched onto something that drives me, I will put every percent of my being into it. I know that my future will be entrepreneurship, be it solo or a joint venture, it just took a post college job to realize it.
Work has been going good. As I said, I finally have some temporary work to do. Essentially right now, Im debugging some FPGA Verilog code. When I took my FPGA class in college my last semester, I didn't code in Verilog but VHDL, so this is quite the good learning experience for me. I come to find that Verilog is really nothing more than a mixing of C++ with Assembly considerations (microcontroller aspects to consider, most variables already defined for you as an output/input pin, etc.). Additionally, I have an actual tour lined up now that I should be starting on, possibly as soon as this week. The tour is nothing classified so I can say, briefly, what it is here: I will be creating an airplane tracking system so that a FLIR array can be tested. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling as comfortable as I would like to be at work.
I think I have decided what my life's long term calling is. It's something I've suspected all along, but has been solidly confirmed for me in these last few months. This job is good, actually, it's great! I get to create cutting edge technology that saves the lives of soldiers. It's very fulfilling work, that offers almost endless areas of technological investigation, but it isn't for me. As cool [and well paying] as the work is, I'm just not excited about it. I'm not excited to get up in the morning to go to work, I'm not excited on Sunday night to go to work. So many people are content to either work a job they hate because it pays well or to work for a pittance doing what they love, I can't do either of those things. I want it all and I have the dedication and determination to do just that. Work now, I work for someone else, so it's difficult for me to get as excited about it as I used to get for snowboarding. I looked at snowboarding as work, it was a second job for me because I competed. I loved that "job". I was working for me, every inch of my dedication added an inch directly to the end result that I could enjoy. I add an inch now, and I don't see or feel that inch is gained. Working for myself, it will be for something that I truly believe in. It will be working for every inch that can be immediately tangible. I'm a very all or nothing personality. I have learned to have a strong work ethic for even the things I may not enjoy completely, but when I've latched onto something that drives me, I will put every percent of my being into it. I know that my future will be entrepreneurship, be it solo or a joint venture, it just took a post college job to realize it.
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A Craticulina species fly found in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The species in this genus of true flies are parasites of the sand wasp. They do not lay eggs, but instead deposit their larvae on the food caught by the wasp for its own larvae, an act known as kleptoparasitism. Photo credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim |
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Act 2, Scene 3, from L'Illustration's coverage of the première of the opera Le Cid, written by Jules Massenet and based on the play by Pierre Corneille. It was first performed at the Opéra Comique in Paris on November 30, 1885, and retains a marginal place on the world's operatic stages due mostly to the ballet suite and a 1976 recording with Plácido Domingo and Grace Bumbry. Artist: Auguste Tilly; Restoration: Adam Cuerden |
November 29th, 2009
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A ca. 1890–1900 photochrom print of Amsterdam Centraal railway station, one of the main railway hubs of the Netherlands, soon after its opening in 1889. The station is situated on three artificial islands at the head of the city, along the IJ. Its location was highly controversial, as it effectively cut the city off from its own waterfront, making it, for all purposes, an inland city. Image: Detroit Publishing Co.; Restoration: Lise Broer |
November 27th, 2009
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The leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) is a species of hound shark found along the Pacific coast of North America from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico. Typically measuring 1.2–1.5 m (3.9–4.9 ft) long, this slender-bodied shark is characterized by black saddle-like markings and large spots over its back. Photo credit: Matthew Field |
Just saw an update from the official Hanadan blog here so might as well share this little news.
( let's stroll down the memory lane, shall we? )
( let's stroll down the memory lane, shall we? )
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A Muslim man raising his hands, about to begin the act of Salah, the formal prayer of Islam, by saying the takbir, or "AllÄhu Akbar" ("God is the greatest"). Salah is one of the obligatory rites of worship of the religion, to be performed five times a day: at dawn (fajr), noon (dhuhr), in the afternoon (asr), at sunset (maghrib) and nightfall (isha'a). Photo credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim |
November 25th, 2009
Holy crap! I swear these guys are the absolute MASTERS of linguistics and historical mythology. Greg Graffin of Bad Religion has nothing on the linguistic variance that Chrigel Glanzmann of Eluveitie utilizes. Example, heres one of my favorite songs lyrics (after the cut):
( Read more... )
I mean holy crap! Thats amazing. Ill be honest, Im a linguistic moron (if you havent already noticed) and I have no idea of what 5 of those words mean. Thats a lot for just one song.
Thats only when he feels kind in using English. It gets even better. Hes as inventive in using other languages (more than one in fact):
( Read more... )
You guys have seen me rave about this band before...a few times actually. I kinda pulled away for a short while into some trance, but I might have to claim these guys as my favorite all time band now. Their sirens call pulled me back. This is the first time Ive looked at the lyrics and Im left even more impressed.
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Now playing: Eluveitie - [Slania #04] Gray Sublime Archon [foobar2000 v0.9.6.9]
http://foxytunes.com/artist/eluveitie/t
( Read more... )
I mean holy crap! Thats amazing. Ill be honest, Im a linguistic moron (if you havent already noticed) and I have no idea of what 5 of those words mean. Thats a lot for just one song.
Thats only when he feels kind in using English. It gets even better. Hes as inventive in using other languages (more than one in fact):
( Read more... )
You guys have seen me rave about this band before...a few times actually. I kinda pulled away for a short while into some trance, but I might have to claim these guys as my favorite all time band now. Their sirens call pulled me back. This is the first time Ive looked at the lyrics and Im left even more impressed.
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Now playing: Eluveitie - [Slania #04] Gray Sublime Archon [foobar2000 v0.9.6.9]
http://foxytunes.com/artist/eluveitie/t
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A 1757 engraving of the Colosseum, an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. Construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus. Engraver: Giovanni Battista Piranesi |
Sorry for the political spam lately, but theres been a LOT going on lately in that area of things! And all things that I, and many others, have said/predicted for so long now. Its really quite vindicating after all the crap I used to get if I ever even hinted to even the smallest whiff of these issues. Now, here they are making headline news.
Follow up from yesterday: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/james
And the renewed ACORN fiasco. Something Obama took GREAT pride in during his campeigning. You can be damn sure hell be distancing himself now...well not him, the "white house staff". For him to dignify a response would inherently put him on a the defensive which would be instantly damning. http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/24/aco
I find this especially fun. A government funded, self proclaimed non partisan organization (that all people in my camp knew was an all-out lie), that is only interested in getting people to vote and NOT WHO to vote for (HA!) is going to get a very big black eye when something like this is found: http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/24/aco
Follow up from yesterday: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/james
And the renewed ACORN fiasco. Something Obama took GREAT pride in during his campeigning. You can be damn sure hell be distancing himself now...well not him, the "white house staff". For him to dignify a response would inherently put him on a the defensive which would be instantly damning. http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/24/aco
I find this especially fun. A government funded, self proclaimed non partisan organization (that all people in my camp knew was an all-out lie), that is only interested in getting people to vote and NOT WHO to vote for (HA!) is going to get a very big black eye when something like this is found: http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/24/aco
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Two polar bears engaged in play fighting in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Play fights serve an important role in social behavior of male polar bears. During these fights the bears come into body contact, but never injure one another. Play fights may be observed in the fall before the ice is formed. Video: Mila Zinkova |
November 24th, 2009
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"The Neck", an isthmus connecting the two halves of Bruny Island, an island off the southeastern coast of Tasmania, from which it is separated by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Both the island and the channel are named after Frenchman Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, who explored the area in 1792. It was known as Bruni Island until 1918, when the spelling was changed to Bruny. The island is popular as a holiday location with surfing beaches, historical sites and South Bruny National Park. It is accessible only via the Bruny Island Ferry service. Photo credit: Noodle snacks |