Eternal Darkness Blue -- Complete
I've just beat the blue part of Eternal Darkness. I'm now working on the green section. Supposedly if you beat the game three times, you get the real ending. I'm debating whether I should beat green completely and then finish off with red or if I should beat them both at the same time by finishing a level in green, then finish one in red, then finish the next level in green and so forth...More on Prof. George and Gay Marriages
In response to my last posting, a very knowledgable guy wrote me and let me know that I was mistaken in several places in my last entry. I've posted the e-mail exchange for the benefit of people following this.[Update] I've been holding a parallel discussion over at The Daily Kos. Take a look at the discussion. There has been some interesting comments in response to this entry. Continue...
Yeesh
I feel old. In all seriousness, though -- congrats Corinne.Professor George Strikes Again
In the Wall Street Journal, Prof. Robert George attacks the Massachusetts Supreme Court striking down prohibitions against homosexual marriages. I like and respect Prof. George, but I think that he's fighting a losing battle on this one. Continue...Ok, Maybe Not So Jaded
This guy is much more bitter than me.Jaded?
I was browsing through my RSS feeds today and saw a quote on Howard Dean's blog that said something along the lines of"We want to raise $200 million to match Bush's $200 million given to him by special interests. Help us take back the country from special interests by donating $10 now!"
The thing that bugs me about these statements isn't the money, but it's the idea of "Vote for me to fight special interests!" Is there any politician in the last century who has not used the boogieman of special interests in a campaign? When do groups of people stop being groups of citizens and start being evil special interests? Is the AARP a special interest group? (I would argue that they are.) Is a group of concerned citizens about issue X a special interest group? Where do citizen groups end and special interests begin? I guess the thing that bugs me is that I see these types of phrases everywhere and they seem so devoid of any actual meaning. Are Dean's union supporters special interests?
Eldred Stuff Online
I've put the Eldred v. Ashcroft stuff online. Enjoy.Enterprise is stealing the cliched episodes.
I don't know what to think about Enterprise. On one hand, they do terribly cliched episodes -- last week was one in a planet like the Old West (see TNG time travel / holodeck episodes), this week dealt with a clone (see Voyager's "Drone" episode, which was also pretty good), and next week's episode has the crew going to 2004 to stop bioterrorism (see Voyager's trip back to 1996 to stop a time bandit). The problem is this -- the ideas for episodes are pretty dumb. But they manage to pull off the episode in such a way that you feel bad for thinking that it would be yet another cliche. At the rate they are going, they will do an episode on jumping a Xindi shark and I'll really like that episode also. Please, leave me some plots that are terrible so I have something to laugh about!In other news, I finished Evangelion and saw both endings. The original blew (apparently the producer couldn't budget and didn't have funds to do the last two episodes of the series), and the new ending (End of Evangelion) was only slightly better. It was a textbook example of having a good idea for a story, but being completely unable to wrap it up. Such a disappointment...
I'm Turning into a Stereotype
I'm currently listening to the Lawrence v. Texas after having read the federalism article below. I'm also preparing to read one of the great papers of early academic computer sciences. all while drinking a glass of whiskey on rocks. Intellectual-wannabe, anyone?
Buzzed update: Perhaps this is all a subconscious balancing mechanisim for me posting Hamtaro (kudos to Steve for identifying the hamster thus) earlier this day...
PPS. Listen to Lawrence v. Texas linked above, fast-forward to thirty-minutes in the timeline and listen. Great fun for all. "But your honor, those guys, while they were pounding each other's ass, are not homosexual as defined by the statute. We believe that they are not, in fact, gay!"
PPPS. Money shot -- Texas: "Homosexuality is publicly accepted, but homosexual activity is not. It cannot be traced to history or tradition." (34:40 - 35:30)
PPPPS. Gotta quit posting while buzzed. This is too fun. Might be addictive.
The Next Morning Update: my former instructor, Robert George, seems to believe that striking down laws prohibiting consentual sexual beahviors is an assault on the institution of marriage and is an unwarranted imposition of social-libertarian policy. I see his point, but I don't know how valid it is in light of equal protection.
As We May Think
As We May Think - Vannevar Bush
From the PDF: As Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, Dr. Vannevar Bush has coordinated the activities of some six thousand leading American scientists in the application of science to warfare. In this significant article he holds up an incentive for scientists when the fighting has ceased. He urges that men of science should then turn to the massive task of making more accessible our bewildering store of knowledge. For many years inventions have extended man's physical powers rather than the powers of his mind. Trip hammers that multiply the fists, microscopes that sharpen the eye, and engines of destruction and detection are new results, but the end results, of modern science. Now, says Dr. Bush, instruments are at hand which, if properly developed, will give man access to and command over the inherited knowledge of the ages. The perfection of these pacific instruments should be the first objective of our scientists as they emerge from their war work. Like Emerson's famous address of 1837 on "The American Scholar", this paper by Dr. Bush calls for a new relationship between thinking man and the sum of our knowledge.
Is the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Constitutional?
In his day job, Glenn Reynolds and some fellow writers discuss the constitutionality of the partial birth abortion ban as written and justified by the Commerce Clause.
Some choice exerpts:
... Such intellectual consistency is certainly absent from some of the most prominent advocates on the other side of the debate. Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois, one of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act's most vigorous supporters, was also co-sponsor of the Shadegg-Pombo "Enumerated Powers Act," which seeks to limit the federal government to its constitutionally defined role. Inconsistently, Rep. Hyde dismisses state authority arguments as "a debating point," ranking at two in importance on a scale of one to ten. "You gotta do what you gotta do," he added. And the Senate counterpart to the Shadegg bill, the "Tenth Amendment Enforcement Act of 1996" was co-sponsored by Robert Dole--famous for his constant invocation of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act on the Presidential campaign circuit, where he has also took to pulling the Tenth Amendment out of his shirt pocket (as if he were Justice Black, who carried the Constitution around in his front pocket at all times).
and
In Conan Doyle's famous story, it was the fact that the dog didn't bark that allowed Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. The dog that hasn't barked in the debate over the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act is the limited power of the federal government to pass legislation based primarily on one group's moral views. What mystery does this silence solve? Alas, in our case it is no mystery at all. The dog has not barked because the political classes, on both the left and the right, have no interest in limiting the power of the federal government when limitations might constrain their own actions.
It's nice to know that there are some other people out there who value the distinction between federal and state power as written in the Constitution.
#1 Christmas Wanted Item
I've just got to have this game:
Apparently it's one of those virtual pet games. I can put this in my GameBoy Advance, then put it in a hamster cage. Maybe the hamster in the game will make my GBA run around the wheel and do all kinds of cool stuff. On the other hand, it may just make my GBA hide under the wood chips and sleep all day.
Finished
I have managed to exhaust Rebel Strike last night. I have unlocked every level and all the starships I care about. The game just isn't fair anymore with the Jedi Starfighter. It's no wonder the Republic ends up winning the Clone Wars. This starfighter alone can take out a number of Imperial II class Star Destroyers in the time I've taken to write this entry.
Well, it's time for me to start on Resident Evil again. Maybe I can get the hang of its controls...
Blog Tips
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If you wish to advertise your commercial website on this weblog via the use of hyperlinks in the comment sections of entries, you will be billed at a rate of $100 per link per day that I choose to leave the link on my site with a $100 minimum. I retain the sole discretion to determine how long an advertisement may be on this website. Thus, I may choose to delete the comment after thirty minutes (which you will be charged $100 for), or I may let it stand for a month (which you will be charged $3000 for, assuming thirty days in a month), or I may choose any other duration that I like (and charge appropriately). Invoices will be sent out at the end of the month and payment is due thirty days after receipt of the invoice. Should the agent posting the advertisements be unreachable, invoices will be sent to the establishment being advertised in the links.Advertising Terms
If you wish to advertise your commercial website on this weblog via the use of hyperlinks in the comment sections of entries, you will be billed at a rate of $100 per link per day that I choose to leave the link on my site with a $100 minimum. I retain the sole discretion to determine how long an advertisement may be on this website. Thus, I may choose to delete the comment after thirty minutes (which you will be charged $100 for), or I may let it stand for a month (which you will be charged $3000 for, assuming thirty days in a month), or I may choose any other duration that I like (and charge appropriately). Invoices will be sent out at the end of the month and payment is due thirty days after receipt of the invoice. Should the agent posting the advertisements be unreachable, invoices will be sent to the establishment being advertised in the links.Finally! A Solution to Comment Spam
Bill them for advertising. I'm rewriting my templates now. :-)Debian MIPS A No-Go
I managed to get Debian Linux running on the Indy I acquired. Unfortunately, while the code installed fine, the X server's stability leaves lots to be desired. I installed WindowMaker (since this is a lower end machine) and when I would try running something like wmcpu, the X server would crash. Not good. Any ideas what I can do with this box with Linux, or should I go back to searching for the Foundation disks for Irix 6.5 on eBay?Slashdot VG Links
First Jedi in Star Wars Galaxies - Read into the comments about how now this poor player cannot go anywhere without a horde of followers. I wonder if Jesus felt this way.
Metroid Prime Beat in ONE HOUR, THIRTY-SEVEN MINUTES! It's taken me, what, four months so far? I'm not even finished...
New Shoes and Anime
I picked up a new pair of Merrill shoes yesterday. I purchased my last pair thirteen months ago and wore them to the point where the rubber was gone on the bottom. I picked up a replacement pair at a local outdoors store. This brand is the best I've ever worn in terms of durability and comfort. Continue...Resident Evil and Rebel Strike
I managed to beat Rogue Squadron III a few days ago. I'm still in the process of unlocking all the "extra" missions, but only one that I'm interested in remains. I managed to get a start on my first Resident Evil game: 0. Continue...Exploiting the Analog Hole
A coworker asked me if I could make him a copy of this week's Smallville. Since I had it on my Tivo, I told him that I would. Rather than put it on VHS, I decided to try and put it on a proper DVD. Read more about how I did this.
(Random thought... Did I just violate the DMCA? This technique could work for any analog source -- including game consoles and DVD players. *shrug*)
Continue...Not So Hectic Anymore
Well, I've finished implementing a Flash-based METS viewer. This is a great psychological achievement as it's an important part of the audio stuff we're working on. Now that this is somewhat complete (it still needs some work to tie it into everything else), I can start worrying about important things again, like my new GameCube games. Continue...Huh?
More political punditry from Aaron Swatrz. Apparently my e-mail exchange with him below was not anyone mailing him to let him know that he's insane for his ideas about the Common Sense Party.
From the latest entry: "Kucinich has the most electable platform but is killing his chances with his personality and strategy. He might be able to turn things around with strong populist positioning, though."
Kucinich, most electable? I almost fell out of my chair laughing about that one. Yep, Aaron, you're insane.
Clear Up or Snow, Already
The constant gray skies over the last week or so are really getting on my nerves. It's fall and I like that, but this constant drabness is really getting to me. I wish the sky would decide whether it was going to let some blue sky peek through or if it is going to snow. This waffling act is not impressing me. Continue...Spam Filtering the Supreme Court
I was wondering this afternoon how effective Bayesian filtering could be applied towards predicting the vote of a justice in a Supreme Court case. Here are a few links describing the filtering with respect to spam:
How effective could these be used to predict a vote solely from the analysis of a corpus of transcripts?
Grad School
One of these days, I'll go to grad school. Here is a list of projects that I would be interested in researching: Continue...
