BASIKX

basikx.net going up for auction!

2010-03-12T08:07:00.000-05:00

Looks like some schmuck wasted their money. AGAIN!

Hello Markus,

You were previously in contact with Acquire This Name about purchasing the domain name basikx.net. While we were not able to reach a sale agreement for the domain at that time, we want to let you know that the domain will soon be available in auction thru NameJet.com. If you are interested in bidding on the name in auction, please visit the domain basikx.net for more information. In general, the bid minimum bid price for the domains at NameJet start between $69-69 USD.

Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Your AcquireThisName Team

As for the "previous contact", here's what they offered to sell me my old domain name for...

Hello Markus,

We have received your email regarding the domain basikx.net.

The owner of the domain has listed the sales price at $ 2,600 for this domain.

If your next offer is reasonable for this domain, an AcquireThisName.com (ATN) representative will contact the owner on your behalf. Upon hearing from the domain owner, we will notify you.

Please note: Owners of valuable domains will often receive several offers per week. Your offer should be great enough to motivate the domain owner to reply.

Best regards,

Trevor
AcquireThisName.com
Trevor@AcquireThisName.com

Meh. Not worth it.

Bye Bye

2009-12-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

It's obvious this blog is going nowhere right now.

I don't have the time or the motivation to write anything for it. I've shifted over to using Facebook and Friendfeed for my daily updates.

www.basikx.net will cease to work, but basikx.blogspot.com will continue to be here.

Have at it, squatters. Waste your money on basikx.net again. I dare you!

Markus, OUT!

I'm testing Posterous.

2009-07-02T10:38:00.001-04:00

Please ignore the Posterous randomness that will likely ensue.

Posted via email from Markus's posterous

Hello 2009

2009-01-07T10:07:00.001-05:00

No new resolutions this year. Last year's resolutions are still in effect.

Basikx.net LIVES!

2008-12-27T20:44:00.002-05:00

After a year of some squatters sitting on my site name, basikx.net is finally mine again. I guess they finally realized that the traffic for my personal blog wasn't worth $20K. Surprise surprise.

Right on. Now I can continue my plans of world domination... as soon as I hit the level cap with my Undead Rogue.

Mobile Friendly

2008-12-25T14:15:00.001-05:00

Look at my blog! Holy cow it's been stripped bare!

Why would I do such a thing? Because I've got to do something here. I'm certainly not posting anything and I'm pretty sure that most people quit checking this site for updates several months ago.

Well I'm here to say that I have plans for this site. Crappy plans, but plans all the same. Stay tuned, both of you!

Lawnbott Chronicles: The warranty ROCKS, thankfully.

2008-10-22T22:29:00.001-04:00

Herman's Warranty:
Overall 2 year warranty and any parts replaced under warranty get a 1 year extended warranty.

This is a great warranty and I will tell you why. Herman is wearing out a wheel motor every three to six months and I was worried that sooner or later I would have to purchase these motors myself (around $150 each).

It's a downer that the parts wear out that quickly, but I am pushing this model to its limit. One square acre is a large yard even with an extra battery. Add in frequent weekends out of town and it can take Herman a while to catch up, if he does. During summer weeds grow fast in the low country and the fat septic system grass gets too thick even for my riding mower, but Herman tries. It only gets worse when he starts to limp and beep because his motor doesn't work. Every other time of the year Herman keeps the yard looking great without water or fertilizer.

Just so I don't spend the post putting KA Robotics down, I want to give Vishal credit for always being friendly and helpful when I call for support. The only time I ever paid for any parts is when I thought the motor failure was my fault. An autopsy later on proved otherwise and Vishal sent me a replacement right away. I kept the spare motor so Herman can attack nature with less down time. I imagine these motors would last for years on a quarter acre lot.

Just to re-cap:
1. I still recommend Lawnbott to anyone who asks, but I know my mileage varies.
2. Pushing any machine to the limit reduces life expectancy.
3. The Lawnbott is very easy to work on and replacing parts is easy.
4. KA Robotics stands behind their products, even if their product is owned by an abusive slave driver like me...

Flock 2.0 Beta

2008-08-05T23:21:00.001-04:00

All the goodness of Firefox 3, but with the great social and blogging features of Flock.

I really liked Flock 1, but it ate up memory something fierce (I had to restart it once an hour or it would eat all the available ram and crash). I'm hoping that the move to Firefox 3 as their base will fix that problem.

Overall, I like looking at the My World page and seeing what's going on in Flickr, Facebook, Myspace, Gmail, del.icio.us, etc without having to visit each site. Itsa nice...

I recommend giving it a spin. Click here to try the beta.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

James Hansen on Climate Change

2008-07-04T10:54:00.001-04:00

Archive: basikx.net

2008-05-27T15:33:00.000-04:00

My counter jumped into the triple digits today! This site's in the big leagues now. Pretty soon I'll have corporations beating down my door, begging to put a banner here. Well I say NO! That's why I paid for this site instead of using one of those free servers. I don't want consumer culture promoting its "buy me and you'll feel better" crap next to my creative productions. People might start thinking I endorse that crap.

On a less critical note, I'm getting to the point in GT3 where all I have left is the Endurance races. I don't know if I want to finish it or wipe my card and start from scratch. I'm curious to see how far I can get in the game without losing a race... I think I have what it takes to at least get 25%.

Basikx.net circa 2002!

2008-05-15T11:29:00.003-04:00

MakeUseOf.com just did a post about the Way Back Machine that shows you pages from the internet at certain points in the past. Just for kicks I put basikx.net in and, lo and behold, it was in there!

It truly was a blast from the past...

VBS.tv Sails Out to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2008-04-15T13:28:00.003-04:00

Awesome post on Treehugger on the North Pacific Gyre. Lots of video...

2 Minutes: Another Inconvenient Truth

2008-04-14T15:15:00.002-04:00

Another Inconvenient Truth Slideshow in 2 Minutes from George Spyros on Vimeo.

It may make more sense to me because I watched the original, but it is basically an update to the movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

Warhammer Video

2008-04-03T22:44:00.000-04:00

Lawnbott Chronicles: Herman, Slayer of Trees

2008-03-20T08:41:00.004-04:00

A couple months ago, my wife and her father planted a willow tree in the front yard. They bought a sapling about six feet tall and lovingly placed him in a low spot where he would be able to soak up the sogginess that is our front yard.

A couple weeks ago, the tree was looking pretty sad. The wind had bent the trunk so the upper part was parallel to the ground and we thought we would have to stake the trunk to keep it from falling over.

Last week, the willow tree righted itself and finally started looking healthy. The trunk was straight(er) and we praised the tree for standing it's ground.

Also last week, I put Herman back out in the yard after his winter break. All was well until...

Apparently, Herman strolled up to the tree, popped his front wheels off the ground, and eviscerated the trunk with 3200 rpm of "I just came out of hibernation and I'm hungry" FURY! While I find the idea of owning a robot that topples trees exciting, my wife was very upset. We got a new sapling that same day, but this time we barricaded the area for protection...

My wife now takes great joy in laughing at Herman when he fails to eat her tree.

We're going to take the old stump and plant it in the back yard (another soggy spot) and give him a chance to show off that fighting spirit yet again.

What D&D Character Am I?

2008-03-10T18:59:00.000-04:00

I Am A: True Neutral Human Druid (5th Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-12

Dexterity-15

Constitution-13

Intelligence-15

Wisdom-15

Charisma-12

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

The Story of Stuff

2008-03-08T19:04:00.004-05:00

Yet another reason I try to pay a little extra to buy quality items that will last. Though in the future I'm going to try and buy second-hand more often.

Don't forget to check out the "Another Way" section of her site.

RSS feed is under control

2008-02-29T13:39:00.005-05:00

I successfully trimmed my RSS subscriptions to a point where I get through all the new posts at least once a day. It takes me most of the day to do so, which I want to reduce more before I consider the goal met.

Also, I started using the "share" feature in Google Reader that creates an RSS feed out of articles I enjoy. I placed it in the left column under my "Comics" Blogroll.

Enlightenment 2.0

2008-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

I found another convention that put it's video up for the world to enjoy:

Beyond Belief: Enlightenment 2.0

On this page they also reference The Science Network which has more media available. Good stuff...

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

For my first post of the year, I will lay out my Resolutions for 2008:

Blog with a purpose!

Update this blog when I make progress on my resolutions (look for the "Goals" tag).

Be more organized and reduce the amount of crap I own.

Read and implement Zen To Done habits.
Get rid of anything I didn't use last year.
Unclutter up my desk and keep it clean.
Use the time saved to further my other resolutions.

Increase exercise and personal fitness.

Do 30 minutes 3 times a week (minimum) of aerobic or weight training exercise.
Do 5-15 minutes of yoga every day.

Follow a healthier diet (less junk/fast food and caffeine).

Reduce caffeine and carbonation consumption to "weekends only".
Only eat out at lunch once a week.

"Live Intelligently"

Research environmental impact and energy use of major purchases.
Increase the energy efficiency of my house.

Reduce energy consumption at the data center where I work.

Bring virtualization to the production environment.
Server consolidation to reduce electricity and heating costs.
Increase efficiency by utilizing higher voltage power configurations (400/230V AC).

Reduce the amount of information that I try (and fail) to consume everyday.

Prune my RSS feed reader by 50% in January, then set a maximum amount of time a day to read. Adjust feeds weekly based on interests and time allotted.
Reduce my personal email accounts to one.
Reduce the number of podcast subscriptions in iTunes.

Did I miss anything?

Basikx.net - The lost RSS feed...

2007-12-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that even though basikx.net is no longer my site, I can still subscribe to the basikx.net RSS feed.

So, I'll be back-posting entries from the old site in order to create the illusion of longevity for basikx.blogspot.com...

Six Steps to NOT Learn a Foreign Language

2007-12-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

My Esperanto escapades have come to a close. I never made time for it, so the week I spent actually studying never stuck. Now it is lost to me.

This is a habit of mine. Not necessarily the quitting, but the act of starting a language that I want to learn, then losing momentum in the long term. At least once a year I start thinking about how wonderful it would be to learn a second language and the rest of the pattern goes something like this:

1. Gather Resources

This is the easy part with Google. Thanks to the Intertubes, I can be neck-deep in "Introduction to " and native foreign websites as fast as I can download it.

2. Understand the Structure

This is the part that I think I enjoy most. If I can't understand "How" the sentences work, it consumes me. I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t care about this if I don’t know what the words mean, but figuring out the pattern holds a special kind of reward.

3. Build Vocabulary

I fail miserably here. Usually after I memorize my first list of words, I’m burned out. Rote memorization is hell for me.

4. "Lack of Necessity" Epiphany

Now that I have enough of an understanding to decipher sentences with the help of a dictionary, I ask where can I apply it in my life? More often than not, anything I want to talk about or learn is available in English, so my incentive to master the language for speaking is small. Then I start looking at all the other cool stuff I could be learning instead and…

5. Lose Interest

Yeah, it would be neat to communicate in a foreign language, but going out of my way to find someone to talk with doesn’t interest me. Remember, I am an introvert.

6. Wait x Months and Start Again...

For some reason, I can’t stop trying though… And I don’t mind. I enjoy being exposed to different cultures that surround the language under scrutiny, so I consider this time well spent, even if I never become fluent. At the best, I can inspire someone else to be curious (probably my kids) and help someone who wants to learn by pointing them to good resources. At the worst, I’ll always have a couple phrases that stick with me forever…

Mi kredi mia pancreas estas Elvis!

TED speech by Philippe Starck

2007-12-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

In a nutshell: Increase your awareness of the human situation, contribute useful things to the world, and live intelligently. This is part of our responsibility as super monkeys...

Using the web for (almost) everything...

2007-11-24T22:14:00.000-05:00

Photo Albums
flickr.com - For $20 a year, I get unlimited space on their servers for pictures.
Pros: Tags and Albums make photo organization easy. Instant sharing with everyone else who wants to see my stuff.
Cons: I can't store video on flickr (yet), making mixed media events difficult to organize.

Bookmarks & Favorites
del.icio.us - Social bookmarking is so hot right now...
Pros: My bookmarks are on any machine with internet access. Tags on del.icio.us are shared by everyone (and I can use everyone's tags).
Cons: Unless you download addons for your browser, bookmarking a site takes a little work.

Email
Gmail.com - Google Email. I used to use Yahoo! Mail, but I was getting 50-100 spam emails in my Inbox a day (and reporting them as spam didn't help). That may be a side effect of having the same email address for 12 years, but it was out of control.
Pros: The feature that organizes replies and responses to emails is a godsend. Tagging, instead of folders, makes email sorting a completely different affair.
Cons: Tagging, instead of folders, makes email sorting a completely different affair.

RSS
Bloglines.com - I used to use Omea Reader (excellent aggregator!), but always ran into the problem where the feeds I looked at during work would still be marked "new" when I came home. For light RSS users, that's not a problem, but I currently track 136 sites with RSS. When each site makes between 1-50 posts a day, I get tired of manually keeping track of what I've already seen. That's where Bloglines comes in...
Pros: One spot for all my feeds. No manually updating multiple desktop programs. Built-in sections for blogs and clippings help with organizing research. Bloglines also shows you how many other people on Bloglines subscribe to that feed AND has a "related feeds" link so you can find other site feeds on the same subject. Very nice...
Cons: Online only. With Omea Reader, I had everything downloaded to my desktop so I could browse offline. This might not be as much of a problem if you have a mobile data service.

Office Documents
Google Documents - MS Word and Excel documents that you can upload, edit, and save online.
Pros: Edit your documents wherever you go.
Cons: The feature sets of Google Docs are very simple. They cannot replace a full Office Suite for every scenario.

Things I'm still working on:

Music & Entertainment
I don't see my 40GB music collection getting uploaded to a site anytime soon, but I just signed up for a free Locker over at mp3.com. If I pay $40 a year, I can upload every song I own. I'll be checking that out...

The Joy of Having a Second Computer...

2007-11-17T14:59:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest things about having more than one computer in the house is not being stuck if one of them fails... But... What do you when both of your computers fail?

The power supply failed on my Ubuntu rig.
The chipset fan failed on my Windows rig.

You tear them apart and build one working computer! So I took the power supply out of my windows rig and got the Ubuntu rig running. Until the new parts arrive, I will have to use Linux...

Lindsay doesn't speak Esperanto (and my feeble attempts to learn it failed) so I wiped the Ubuntu off and installed Fedora 8... in english. HUGE difference! Not only do I understand the words on the screen, but all my hardware was configured without any coercion from me.

Why do I comment on this? Because this is the first time I've found a turnkey Linux distro for a custom-built computer without consulting a linux compatibility hardware list. Maybe I just got lucky, but I consider this to be a good sign. Linux may be reaching a tipping point for mass adoption. Walmart seems to think so...

Lawnbott Chronicles: Moisture is the essence of motor failure...

2007-10-23T18:31:00.000-04:00

Herman is sitting in the garage right now waiting for a new wheel motor. Ever since Herman went swimming corrosion has been a problem. One wheel motor went out about a month ago and I replaced it (at $250.00) only to have the other wheel motor fail last week. I'm thinking that I need to completely disassemble Herman and clean his circuits before the corrosion destroys anything else.

On the up side, our grass doesn't seem to be growing nearly as fast as it was in the middle of summer, so Herman's vacation won't trigger the kind of uprising I've seen in the past.

I also just realized that I never mentioned the flood. Our neighborhood got partially flooded over the summer. While the water didn't make it into the house, I was able to watch a tennis ball float (not roll) from one end of our driveway all the way to the street. Very surreal...

Biggest Bestest Pizza EVER!

2007-10-18T21:42:00.001-04:00

Giordano's rocks.

I thought I would be a joker and ask them if they could mail me a pizza in Atlanta, but they beat me to the punchline. That's right. They sell mail-order pizza over the internets!

Flickr: embarassing pictures of everyone!

2007-10-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

Lakehouse events, Family photos, Halloween parties, International tourist traps!

If you want to see many pictures, send me an email.

Basikx.net: possibly gone forever...

2007-10-09T19:31:00.000-04:00

Remember the web hosting that I used to use? I'm finally free of them. Even though I switched to blogger.com for hosting, www.hostdepartment.com still held "basikx.net" for DNS resolution purposes.

On October 6th, the lease for my domain name expired and basikx.net was jettisoned into the cold emptiness of nonexistence.

"How could I let this happen?" you might ask. My response would be that www.hostdepartment.com has a crappy interface for managing domain names. I could not figure out how to transfer service so I allowed the registration to lapse. Or so I thought. Instead of becoming available again, basikx.net was snatched up by some website that looks like a cheap adsite. I can only imagine that they will try to sell my domain back to me at a profit. If that is the case, they are surely mistaken...

I am not a vain man. I don't need that domain name. They have taken for ransom a bauble that is worth very little to me. Especially since basikx.org, basikx.info, and basikx.name are still available. I have many options open to me, but the big question is: do I want to take this opportunity to remake the image of this site? Do I really want to keep basikx in the name? I mean, I've had that handle since high school, but I gave it to myself so it never caught on among my friends.

So, I am looking for ideas for a domain name. Let me know what you think I should call this thing. Robotslaveholder.com is available...

Chic-fil-a condones leather wallets?

2007-10-06T13:16:00.001-04:00

So I saw this advertisement at Chick-fil-a and had to take a picture. I just really thought it was ironic that the wallet was made of leather...

4 Reason I Don't Have Cable

2007-10-05T13:56:00.000-04:00

1. Productivity - I turn into a zombie the minute I make eye contact with a moving screen. All thoughts go out the window and hours will go by before I can pull myself away.

2. Return on Investment - Speed, Discovery, and The Learning Channel are not worth paying $50+ a month. Sure some of the shows are good, but I can download those off the internets without having to sift through garbage to get there. I admit, there is garbage on the internets, but thanks to iTunes and such, I only have to pay for what I want to see.

3. Unrealistic - Beach MTV is not the norm. Survivor, while not scripted, is heavily edited. The Real World is not real. If they sold fictitious shows as fiction, I wouldn't complain as much. Displaying these mock ups as "real" raises expectations about how we should look, behave, react, etc. Widespread self-esteem issues follow. Want to be happy again? Enjoy Coke! Which brings me to...

4. Commercials - Why would I pay TV companies money to sell me a bunch of crap I don't need? No matter how happy be people in the commercial look, it isn't because they're drinking a soda or playing with a toy. Will the super deluxe Ginsu knock-off 120 piece set for $59.95 make my homemade meals look like world class cuisine? No, and don't waste time trying to tell me how easy my life will be. I can almost guarantee they are crap. Bratz lipstick dolls to teach me how to look like a prostitot? Not for me or my daughters.
Want more complaining?
Gary Cross wrote a great article exposing these things for the manipulative child brainwashing consumerism that it is: Toys for Saps

I miss my photos...

2007-09-18T18:53:00.000-04:00

I've got a ton of lakehouse pictures that are dying to embarrass somebody, but no place to put them on this site...

I'm thinking flickr. What do you guys think?

Mental Challenge: Ubuntu Linux and Esperanto

2007-08-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

Not only have I wiped Windows off one of my computers, I have installed Linux in another language! Laugh all you want folks, but this is for real. I'm hardcore Esperanto now... sort of.

As I installed Ubuntu I noticed they offered Esperanto as a language. Since the best way to study a language is to immerse yourself in it, I took the plunge. As installation messages sped passed I deciphered the cryptic words with a beginner's fervor. I could only translate a couple words on the screen before new messages wiped my progress, but I was learning. Mia nomo estas Markus!

Then the reboot came and something amazing happened: everything turned back to English. Turns out there is an icon you have to click on (before logging in) and change the language there. On the up side, changing languages isn't hard so I can switch back if I get in over my head.

For now I'm getting used to my new Komputilo software and memorizing vocabulary.

O'Reilly Open Source Convention 2007

2007-07-31T08:34:00.000-04:00

Over at blip.tv, O'Reilly uploaded a bunch of 2007 conference videos for our viewing pleasure.

GEL Conference Videos

2007-07-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

Good Experience Live (GEL) Conference videos

The 2005 speeches have full-length videos which point to Google Videos, so you can get the same videos by googling "GEL 2005". The rest of the links only point to short excerpts, with the exception of Seth Godin.

Periodic Table of Websites

2007-07-23T09:11:00.001-04:00

Someone made a periodic table using websites from the internet. To me, this begs the question: Is grammar.qdnow.com really lethal to DaveRamsey.com? Only Dr. Kane knows for sure...

Strategy Conference Videos

2007-07-21T23:02:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for conference videos. As a matter of fact, I'm going to start a link list for these things. Look for it on the right side.

The IIT Institute of Design "Strategy Conference" has released many of it's speakers on video for our viewing pleasure.

I've only watched the first one so far (George Cascio), who explains some of the amazing things that ETS is doing with educational software and how parents can track what their children are learning. I only wished the video showed the slides so I could see the products he talks about.

Edit: Another great video about Spore

Roomba Chronicles: Herman's Lovechild, Exposed!!!

2007-07-20T21:53:00.000-04:00

Remember that steamy encounter Herman had with that rug? Apparently there was an offspring that came home looking for Daddy...

Behold, I bring you Roomhilda!

This wonderful robot lovechild vacuums our floors and shuttles the cats around the house like a mini roman chariot.

On a side note, this thing rocks for multi-tasking. Earlier today, Lindsay was able to mow the lawn, vacuum the floors, and cook lunch AT THE SAME TIME! This is not a lie! Offloading household tasks to robots is GENIUS! In fact, I'm eyeing a device right now that will wipe my butt for me. I'm slowly making my way to freedom through robot enslavement. Wish me luck.

An introverted birthday...

2007-07-14T20:39:00.000-04:00

Today, for my birthday, I spent the entire day alone.

As an introvert, this is a good thing. I've had an entire day to relax and center myself. Tomorrow, I'll have to deal with one person for a little while, but after that, I'll be alone again. I can't tell you how good it feels to get this time to myself after the last couple months.

Do I sound strange for wanting to be alone? I'm not. I'm just a personality minority. According to a Myers-Briggs test, one percent of the world has a personality like me. Let me show you:

Your Type is
INTJ

Introverted	Intuitive	Thinking	Judging
Strength of the preferences %
67	62	50	1

INTJ type description by D.Keirsey
INTJ type description by J. Butt and M.M. Heiss
Wiki Entry for INTJ

It seems that my personality is moving closer to "Judging", which is a change from a couple years ago. I would say that has a lot to do with my job. Lots of standards and baselines in an enterprise IT environment. The practical nature of the job reduces my planning time and requires working, relatively SIMPLE solutions. I do take some time to play with new technology, but most of that is in preparation for actually having to implement.

Curious to see what these tests can say about you?
Test Yourself!

Edit: On the list of fictional INTJs, it lists Gandalf the Grey. So if you see a Balrog running around, let me know. I got that shit on lockdown...

Green Living: The paranoia begins...

2007-07-09T10:20:00.000-04:00

About a month ago, after watching "The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See...", I decided to get a couple books on sustainability and see what I could do to reduce my environmental footprint without depleting my own cash resources. These are the two books I bought and my (incomplete) thoughts on them:

Green Living: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability
This book is broken down into three sections: personal health, home sustainability, and future sustainability. I've only read the first two sections but so far it's a good book. Every page induces a panic attack as you realize that just about everything you touch (even the house you live in) poisons you and that anything plastic is really an ecological disaster that emits cancerous fumes all the freaking time! All I can do is wonder why malignant tumors don't cover my entire body. I'm really hoping that the last section puts some things in perspective because there's no buzz-kill quite like watching your child play and thinking "the plastic in that toy causes cancer, and it's in her mouth." I'm sure I'll come to terms with this, but right now it's freaking me out a bit. Where's that blue pill...

In the books defense, I have to say that when it does give you bad news on a product, it immediately points you to clean alternatives that you can use instead. For that I was grateful, but unless you read the book slowly you end up overwhelmed by the bad things.

The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living
I only glanced at this book, but it looks like a "Yellow Pages for Green Products" kinda thing. All of the chapters have a couple pages talking about an issue, then lists a bunch of companies that provide eco-friendly versions of those products. I'll try to remember to write more on this book when I get to it.

Lawnbott Chronicles: I think we'll keep him

2007-06-14T09:33:00.000-04:00

Things are going well with Herman. He successfully keeps the grass cut and I have had few problems with him compared to a traditional riding lawnmower. I haven't seen any noticeable increase on my electric bill (but I'm not paying strict attention to it).

So far, here are the problems I have had:

Bad Motor - KA Robotics customer support sent me a replacement motor immediately and I had no problems replacing it without a screwdriver and an allen wrench. KA even sent someone to the house to pick up the old parts.

Getting Stuck - This was a substantial portion of the problems in the first month of robot slave ownership. I wasn't sure what constituted a trap for Herman, but I learned what quickly what caused him the most problems: ants and tree bases. The latter is easy to fix: flatten the base of the tree or wire around them. The ant hills are a bit trickier. The soil around my house is more appropriately described as a beach with grass on top. There is no top soil here, just sand. That means that when the ants make a mound, it's really just an unimaginative sand castle. As Herman runs over the hill day after day, the tunnels collapse and eventually form a sandy hole that no mortal Lawnbott can escape. The only solution is death for the ants. All of them.
Un-sticking Herman has gone from a once a day or more thing to a once every couple days. Over time, this too will decline as I hone my robot Feng Shui...

Paranoia - A Lawnbott is like a really expensive 22lb R/C car. It has a handle, making it easy for me to pick up, or easy for a thief to chuck in the bed of his truck. I've put him on my home owner's insurance specifically for this reason. I want his theft covered.

Path of Destruction effect - Herman is a machine. Pure and simple. He has a job to do and does not stop for things that are ... not grass. That includes: stray trash, the perimeter wire, rugs, etc. Unless the object is over 4 inches tall, it's getting beaten with a 3200 rpm metal plate. The kids in my house will grow up knowing that anything left in the yard is as good as gone.

Now that I've told you the bad, here is the good:

No Human Labor - I don't have to take time out of my weekend (read: free time) and battle the weather or Empirial X-gnats for the right to keep my lawn from becoming a jungle. Yeah, I still have to work in the yard, but weeding and landscaping is cake compared to the monotony of mowing.

No Gas - I don't have to be reminded of how expensive gas is every week just so I can keep my lawn pretty. I also get a small kick out of knowing that I am not polluting as bad as a gas mower. My electricity may come from nuclear, but that energy is still more efficient than internal combustion (I hope).

Cool Factor - I am the only person in town that even knew this kind of thing exists. When the neighbors ask about it, they assume that the robot nature of the appliance makes it magically out of their ability to comprehend or harness. I am the pioneer of the robot slave world. I have the secrets to make the automaton's obey. Skynet, ho!

How do you sell Spore to to upper-class intellectuals?

2007-05-22T22:28:00.000-04:00

This is how you would explain Spore to the kind of people who wouldn't be caught dead playing a video game, and yet, Will Wright hangs in there.

Am I the only one that sees a "culture gap" so wide that the interviewer is almost clueless?

Will Wright at the New Yorker Conference 2007

Great Speeches about all kinds of things...

2007-05-20T18:38:00.000-04:00

The Internets allow us to learn anything we want to learn. Don't squander all your tubes on eBay and Myspace. Take a shot at listening to a speech that doesn't involve a grade.

TED

Pop!Tech

LIFT

Edit: The New Yorker Conference 2007

Lawnbott Chronicles: Herman takes week off, weeds exploit the situation

2007-05-09T08:52:00.000-04:00

Remember that left motor that was giving me problems? Yeah, it failed last Wednesday. KA sent a new motor and I replaced the faulty one last night. Herman got about an hour of cutting done before his curfew, so today will be his first real day of work in a week. Already some of the weeds are 6 inches tall. All of Herman's progress is coming undone by my folly. Now I will pay the price...

Last week I finished wiring the final section of yard in front of the house. Now Herman can attack with the fervor of a militant grounds keeper at Pebble Beach. Over the next two weeks I will be watching to see if the Lawnbott Evolution Plus lives up to its 1 acre promise. If Herman can successfully keep the grass under control I will consider this test a success. During that first week, I wasn't sure, but my fears are almost at rest. I guess all it takes is time for Herman to beat the lawn (and a rug) into submission.

My daughter is a snorter...

2007-04-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

Lindsay just called me a minute ago and yelled at me. I could hear Taylor doing some deep nasal sucking action in the background. Sounds like someone is taking after Daddy...

Lawnbott Chronicles: Herman is a rug muncher!

2007-04-18T08:56:00.000-04:00

Last night my wife, Lindsay, went outside to make sure Herman found his home for the night but his garage was empty. Figuring he got stuck somewhere, she checked the usual hang-out spots (ant hills and tree bases) with no success. Finally, she found Herman near the back deck, straddling our Astroturf rug!

Apparently the wind pushed the rug off the deck into the yard where Herman was waiting to pounce. Who knows how long this liaison lasted, but the rug is not the same anymore. Herman rode it hard and left scars that are physical and possibly emotional. Lindsay and I have decided that the best thing for all of us is to send the rug away. I think Lawnbott's lust is just going to hurt one of them if we allow the situation to continue.

So much for Herman's innocent facade. We know the danger that lurks between his wheels now. I just hope he doesn't try to deflower the pots...

Lawnbott Chronicles: Flesh is weak, metal strong...

2007-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

I wanted to install another section of wire this weekend to bring Herman into the front yard, but the weather didn't cooperate.

The cold front and winds kept me from getting outside to finish the wiring job. Could I have done it by being uncomfortable for a little while? Yeah, but I chose to relax instead. One person who didn't relax was Herman. My Lawnbott continued to mow the yard, oblivious to the weather around him. As a matter of fact, I started to feel downright lazy compared to him. That's OK. I'm still smarter. I hope...

On Monday night the weather cooperated and I finished splicing the wire in around one part of the front yard. Herman went to town on the section, which means more crop circle goodness for the aliens...

Lawnbott Chronicles: Thy name shall be... Herman?

2007-04-16T07:49:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that my wife has this thing about picking names that don't fit at all? It's true. I had to rename two of our cats because of it. I mean, why give cats respectable names? Suzy and Misty are boooring names. I'm almost certain their nine lives are more exciting now as Pompom and Ecstasy. The last cat, Emily, will be getting a new name as soon as I can find one that fits.

So Herman sounded cute to my wife. I draw a blank when trying to come up with anything funny about the name Herman.

"Look, honey! Herman's wandering aimlessly around the back yard again!" meh...

Serves me right for not having a good backup name.

Lawnbott Chronicles: We have hit critical mass...

2007-04-12T19:24:00.000-04:00

Today I came home to find 99% of the yard mowed. I had to actively look for the few remaining weeds. I took this picture of a sand spot in the yard to show how often Lawnbott has criss-crossed the yard over the last 5 days.

From Lawnbott

I can only guess that Lawnbott has cleared enough of the weeds that the few times it meets resistance now, it's more likely to "spiral" on unfinished areas. He also stopped doing the limp, but I'm going to replace the left motor any way. I'm not entirely convinced that the fine sand (anthills) doesn't have something to do with it, but since only one motor is having problems I can't say for sure. Could be a bad seal, could be ant sabotage, who knows...

I'm going wire out one more section of the yard to see how quickly it can work on that area. The grass is a little longer in that area (and the size is much smaller), so I should see faster results. That will have to wait for next week, though. There is a road trip scheduled for this weekend, and Lawnbott will spend the weekend sitting locked inside my garage.

How much beauty do we ignore every day?

2007-04-11T13:43:00.000-04:00

I read an article today from the Washington Post about Josh Bell, a world class violinist, playing for change during rush hour. Out of the thousands of people who walked by him only seven stopped to appreciate his playing.

The author talks about how beauty seems to be appreciated only when we expect to see something beautiful, when we are receptive to being "moved" emotionally. It makes me wonder how often our "tunnel vision" causes us to ignore beautiful things.

Lawnbott Chronicles: Left Motor Problems

2007-04-09T17:07:00.000-04:00

Earlier today I sent an email to Bamabots about Lawnbott's limping and in less than 4 hours a KA representative was on the phone with me performing diagnostics on the machine. The left motor was running at about 40% of the right, but without error codes. Just in case, KA is sending me a new left motor. They told me to let Lawnbott continue cutting the grass until the part arrived, so I put him back out. Right after the setting him loose again I got a "L02 Left Motor" error code.

It looked so sad, limping around the yard. His wavering gait brought tears to my eyes as he bravely swam across that overwhelming acre of green. He has a heart of gold, that Lawnbott. He'll stop and rest every now and then, stating "L02 Left Motor", but I tell him that the job is not done, and he soldiers on. He may be brave and fighting a losing battle, but I have a yard to mow...

Now it is time for me to bring the ants a little present...

Lawnbott Chronicles: The Ants Strike Back!

2007-04-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

I found Lawnbott trapped and assaulted by ants earlier today. I'm not sure what they did to him, but he limps now. My retaliation will be swift. Chemical warfare is about to hit Antville...

I posted a video of Lawnbott's limp in a picasa album. Please don't be offended of the naked robot. He said he doesn't mind if his parts are showing.

In the mean time, I have hired bodyguards to protect Lawnbott from any new threats...

Lawnbott Chronicles: I've got crop circles!

2007-04-08T09:43:00.000-04:00

After one day of Lawnbott action, my backyard is a chaotic mess of lines and spirals. Apparently, Lawnbott's modus operandi is to pick a random direction and sprint as far as it can before it hits something. Then he turns in another random direction and sprints again. Occasionally he'll do some spirals, probably in an effort to design crop circles telling his buddies in orbit that his new job sucks and I'm a slave driving pain of a master.

I only had to help Lawnbott out twice today. Once when it tried to mow down a tree (his drive wheels came off the ground), and once when ants lured him into a pit. I quelled the ant uprising by smoothing out their city and we're putting barricades around every tree.

On the good side, Lawnbott crossed all mole hills without problems, turning their perceived threat into a minor nuisance. Now I can only hope the incessant whirring of plant death every day will drive those subterranean rodents out of my yard.

Dad doesn't think Lawnbott can manage such a large area, and he has a point. Right now Lawnbott's random paths leave entire sections uncut (possibly on purpose?). My only hope is, as the yard comes under control, Lawnbott knows how to focus on uncut areas. I also have to take into account that this isn't all of my yard right now. If Lawnbott can't handle a measly half-acre, I will be forced to send it back to Alabama in disgrace.

If this doesn't work, I may actually have to mow my own yard...

Lawnbott Chronicles: Will robot my slave work hard enough?

2007-04-06T08:24:00.000-04:00

Last night I finished surrounding the backyard with copper wire. Tonight I'll install the base station for Lawnbott and engage the 24v magical circle, binding this electronic servant to my yard for all eternity!

Why only the backyard, you ask? Because I got tired of cutting trenches for something that may not work at all. If Lawnbott can successfully manage the backyard I can extend into the front yard in sections. The manual said (yes, I read manuals for some things) I could program "zones" depending on how I run the wire. I'll do more research on that...

I'm gonna set this guy loose without cutting the yard, too. Most of the really tall stuff is skinny weed things. The rare thick weeds I can pull by hand. My Bermuda grass is still relatively short (1-2 inches in most places). I'll set Lawnbott to cut as high as possible and see what the results look like.

I only have one other worry. I don't know how mole tunnels will affect performance. I haven't done anything to get rid of the pests yet, so the tunnels are still popping up. The manual warns about keeping Lawnbott away from exposed tree roots, which could be a similar scenario. I'm hoping that Lawnbott will drive the moles off with it's constant mowing and demonic aura, but I may have to resort to more extreme measures...

My new toy: robotic lawnmower

2007-04-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

I have a problem. My hand-me-down push mower cannot keep up with my 1.03 acre yard. Maybe I should say, I can't push a teeny manual push-mower around one acre fast enough to finish mowing before it's time to start again. I need a riding lawnmower to do this thing right. At least, that's what most people need. I am not most people...

On March 28th I ordered a Lawnbott Evolution from www.bamabots.com in an attempt to automate a large portion of my yard maintenance. If this works, I'll only need to do edging and take care of the gardens. That means more time for World of Warcraft!

I have 30 days to test this thing out and see if it can handle the yard. The only thing holding me back is the perimeter wire that I need to install first. You see, I have around 1,500 ft of wire that I have to run around the perimeter (including trees and flower beds) before I can even set this thing loose. In the three days (roughly 7 hours of work) I've worked on it I got half the backyard done. At this rate I'm thinking I will finish sometime Friday night. Which means I'll need to mow my yard manually one more time this weekend before I can unleash the beast-bot.

Children know too much about computers...

2007-03-18T21:34:00.000-04:00

I got some new hard drives for my main machine today. The old hard drive was giving bad sector errors, despite being under a year old. So, I got two new hard drives for the system.

Taylor Ann is learning a lot in this picture. I showed her where to plug in the connectors to the main power switch. She had an easier time getting it on than I did. Small hands work wonders inside a cramped case. We also took the time to discuss the finer points of SATA raid configurations. See, I wanted to do Raid 0 but Taylor pointed out the multiple copies of personal data that I have on my secondary systems and that my gaming rig would benefit from Raid 1 where performance is more important than redundancy. In the end we decided to compromise, and we did Raid 1 across both drives...

The proposal

2007-03-17T13:32:00.000-04:00

Nobody got to see our wedding but Taylor and the judge. Luckily, there was a photo taken of the proposal. This is me proposing marriage to Lindsay. Where's the ring? There isn't one. We talked about it and decided that a camera would be a better way of spending our (limited) finances.

So, I bought a Canon PowerShot SD450 and placed myself at the mercy of Lindsay. Luckily, she said yes. And for that, I am glad. I can't think of anyone I would rather be with for the rest of my life.

Breathing life back into basikx.net...

2007-03-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

Ever since Lindsay and I brought Taylor into the world, basikx.net has seen zero activity. I just didn't have time for it, so I've decided to let my webhost expire.

The only thing that I think people really want from my old site is the pictures of lakehouse antics and party blackmail. At least that's what my co-workers want to see. Those pictures of me in Colleen's two-piece bikini are particularly popular... but the cost in time to develop my own website went up considerably now that I have less time to myself. So, I've decided to outsource the boring stuff.

I'm moving my old journal entries to blogger.com, which is where I posted this from and I'm looking for a place to host photos. We'll see how well I can keep this up...

Journal - July 28

2006-07-29T05:00:00.000-04:00

Taylor Ann Clearie Laumann came into the world on July 26th at 5:20pm. Her stats:

7lbs 9oz

20.5 inches long

female

human

The first pic of her available for mass distribution is on my MySpace page (here) but I have since assaulted the girl with a camera the way a japanese tourist assaults an Elvis impersonator...

See more pics here and a video.

Journal - July 6

2006-07-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

Okay. I'm on World of Warcraft now and I have completely neglected this page. It's not that I'm not writing entries, it's just that any time I sit down on this computer I'm trying to catch up to my friends on WoW. I think I'm getting pretty close now so I can take a break from grinding and just relax a bit. Oh, and because the rain messes with the broadband so I get kicked off every 10-15 seconds. Very frustrating. This webpage I can edit locally and then upload it later.

Anyway, here's an entry that I wrote right after the Baby Shower(but never uploaded):

June 25, 2006

This turned out to be a great weekend in Atlanta for Lindsay and me. First off, we got to have LuAnna for the entire weekend which meant that we were able to share everything that happened with her. We all had a great time at Kaya’s birthday party on Saturday. The inflatable castle was a big hit with all the kids (and some adults)! Courtney did a great job as host considering the amount of sugar consumed. The pulled pork with home-made BBQ sauce was delicious.

On Sunday we had the baby shower at Shaun and Britt’s house in Senoia. For everyone that came, I want to say thank you again. Lindsay and I were overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we got. I know that some people were a little worried that they bought duplicate items, but we have to stock two homes (Savannah and Newnan) so the extras are more than welcome. I would like to especially thank those of you who pitched in on the larger items. We put them on the registry, but didn’t really expect to see them. Thank you very much.

LuAnna got to meet a bunch of my friends at the baby shower, most of which hadn’t seen LuAnna since she was a baby. I guess the shock of seeing my eight year old daughter in person (when they usually only hear about her after I see her) can be slightly traumatic. Dave in particular said he last saw LuAnna in a jar, but his charades may have been misinterpreted.
For those of you who didn’t come, Lindsay and I will accept gift cards (just kidding, but not really). The next time you see us will be after Taylor Ann enters the world. We’ll make room for anyone who wants to come down and see her and post pics on my website.

See! I do care, but I had to immerse myself in WoW for a while. Gamers have their priorities...
The Bonaventure finally has renters in it. That means that the $1400/month river of cash can finally stop flowing outward. Having that kind of financial obligation over my head really made me look at what I was spending versus what I really needed. What it boiled down to was Lindsay and I learning to live off of every other paycheck. Now that we have all the extra money we'll be saving most of it and investing the rest. Besides, I now have an engagement ring and another house to buy.

I also have some new pics from the Baby Shower that I will be putting up for everyone. Give me time on that, though. I need my undead rogue to hit level 23. Just kidding, but not really.

Journal - June 15

2006-06-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

This is what my new site looks like. Most of you are probably thinking "What's the big deal? I thought this new site was going to be cool. Obviously you didn't put much effort into it..." and you are right.

The geek part comes in when you look at the source code (my end, not yours). The old site was written in HTML. I've switched to ASP.NET so I have a whole new world of dynamic content. Something that I've wanted to implement for a while but never took the time is a comment area for the journal. Also, I want to have an interface that lets me publish journal entries from anywhere. I'll be adding new parts slowly (as I learn them) and letting you guys tell me what you like and don't like.

I would also like to say that I may have rented my house in Newnan. I'm going this weekend to do the walkthrough with the new tenants and we'll see how it goes. Long ago I made a deal with myself that I could only play World of Warcraft if my house was rented. That day may soon be at hand...

Journal - June 10

2006-06-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

Those of you with RSS readers get to see an update today that no one else can see. The reason is that I've started transferring my site to ASP.NET but trying to look at *.aspx pages just shows errors. Follow the link to see what I mean...

Journla - June 5

2006-06-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

Alright, if you can read this, then my website has successfully made the transition from one host to another.

Journal - May 30

2006-05-30T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today I read an article about the difference between Internet Pioneers and Internet Citizens. All I can say is that I've been blogging since before it was called blogging. I've got a website that shares my life with the world (despite my introvert nature). Google my name and I am the first hit on the page. I check my email about once a week instead of every day like I used to. I publish my own RSS feed and have a decent collection of regular RSS subscriptions (you can download my OPML here). I go through withdrawals when I'm away from my computer for more than a couple days.

Journal - May 5

2006-05-05T15:58:00.000-04:00

Would you like to send your kids to a school with no curriculum? Boing Boing posted a link to a short video on YouTube for such a school called Fairhaven.

Journal - Apr 20

2006-04-20T15:58:00.000-04:00

I have posted the 3D Ultrasound stuff here. I recommend downloading the zip file instead of watching them from the site. That will help me save on bandwidth. You'll see.

Journal - Apr 13

2006-04-13T15:59:00.000-04:00

I've found another free RSS Reader that I really like: JetBrains Omea Reader.

Journal - Mar 31

2006-03-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got to see my website displayed on a Blackberry handheld web browser. I was surprised that the most of the website looked just fine. The browser didn’t understand the style sheet formatting so it just looked like a page of unformatted text. The only time it hiccupped was when it hit a table which was mainly in my picture pages. So I’m proud to say that my website is (mostly) hand-held friendly!

Journal - Mar 29

2006-03-29T16:03:00.000-05:00

On the 24th we actually got to pet the Clydesdales. The things were gentle giants and beautiful to see. After they tried to eat our hands Lindsay apologized for not bringing apples.

Journal - Mar 20

2006-03-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

I read an article that really made me consider home schooling my children, or at least private school.

The title: Why Nerds Are Unpopular.

Really the article is only half about the nerds and more a reflection of the culture that seems to spring up in most larger schools across the US. I think it's a good read for everyone, especially parents of teenagers. It might help them catch a glimpse of what their child is going through...

Journal - Mar 19

2006-03-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

I'm just writing to express the pure joy of having nothing to do... This weekend Lindsay and I are sitting around the apartment taking some much needed rest. Other than going out to lunch with Lindsay's parents yesterday, we've spent the day reading and surfing the web.

Journal - Mar 8

2006-03-08T16:04:00.000-05:00

"Courage can be developed. But it cannot be nurtured in an environment that eliminates all risks, all difficulty, and all dangers."

Journal - Mar 6

2006-03-06T16:05:00.000-05:00

For a while there I had some good updating happening. Why I stopped, I couldn't tell you, except that I didn't take the time to do so...

Journal - Feb 14

2006-02-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

"Natural evolution insists that we are apes; artificial evolution insists that we are machines with an attitude."

Journal - Jan 24

2006-01-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I had a conversation with a 9-year-old girl about the kind of squirt gun required to give yourself a colonic.

Brand New! RSS Feed Available

2006-01-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

I've put together a simple RSS file for those of you on the ticker tape bandwagon...

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Basikx

Archive: basikx.net

2002-07-14T15:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Me!

I can't send any emails right now, otherwise I'd demand presents from everyone. Actually, I didn't even realize it was my B-day until I saw the emails from Mom and Dad. Just goes to show you how exciting things can get around here...

Nothing special happened on my birthday. I played a few challenging games of chess with Captain Moss and watched some movies. Just another hard day at work, really. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go research a car that just got recommended to me...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-07-09T15:44:00.000-04:00

We had a band come on the ship last night. I didn't get to see them, though. I had a bad headache so I went to bed early, thinking I could take a nap and then go down to see them. Not so... I just laid in bed until 3am, unable to sleep. My headache didn't go away. It's still lingering today.

Anyway, back to the band. Their name was Ill Mic and they were from Atlanta. I thought that was pretty interesting. I didn't recognize or talk to any of them. Just thought I'd throw that out there. The lead singer had the look of a renny.

Not much happening around here. They turned our email back on.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-07-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

I had something I wanted to say, but I forgot what it was...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-07-03T15:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Sorry I didn't put it up here yesterday. I remembered on the first, then went to sleep and woke up on the third. Quite disconcerting. No one else seemed to notice, though, so I'm not too worried...

I heard someone I know might be looking at going into the military. Stay away from the Army and the Navy. Go to the Air Force if you want an easy ride with little promotion. Go to the Marine Corps if you want to feel like you're actually in the military. Get a job as a sysadmin (40xx) or special intelligence(26xx). The analysts say being an Intelligence Specialist (0231) isn't too bad. I wouldn't want their job. I just sit around all day playing games, because I don't work unless things are broken. I've started playing chess to pass the time. Chessmaster 8000 is my tutor. I grow smarter by the day...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-07-01T15:42:00.000-04:00

Hello, people. They shut off my email again. No big deal, but I won't be able to respond to a few that you sent me. You know who you are.

I think I'm cycling back into my mellow stage again. Deep thinking tends to do that to me. In the last 24 hours the subject of behavior and conditioning has come up three times from three different people. I'll take that as a sign...

Time to eat. Later.

Okay, the food sucked. I don't expect much, but when the meat is rotten, DON'T PUT IT ON THE LINE! Sorry. My dinner consisted of a piece of cake, a scoop of apple sauce, and a dinner roll. I had more things on my tray, but the meat tasted funny and I couldn't tell what the other thing was. Needless to say, it went into the trash.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-06-24T15:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the hiatus. Things got interesting here and I didn't have a lot of time to waste. Now that things have calmed down, I will try to get back into the habit.

I got drunk last week. Twice. Yes, that's right. Me, the man who (until last week) had consumed only a single six pack of beer and one mixed drink in my entire life. Now the count is up to thirteen beers and two mixed drinks. Best part was, I didn't pay for any of them. My beautiful friend Amariah wouldn't let me say no. Women are my biggest weakness. That and my alcohol tolerance. Three beers is all it took for me to get drunk the first time. I guess my body didn't know what to make of it...

Anyway, I'm trying to get the pictures Amariah took so I can post a couple here. Unfortunately, I don't see her on a set schedule, so I have no idea how long it will be before they show up here. Patience, people...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-06-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

Let me see a show of hands here: who thought my last post was a little out there...

Now tell the people around you why you put your hand in the air. Listen to them laugh. Feel like an idiot. Now read on...

I was having a bad day and needed to vent somewhere. Sorry to subject you, the reader, to the petty whimpers of a lonely man, but I had no choice. My spirit fingers were a flyin' and I had no control over them.

I want food. Talk to you later.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-06-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm having illusions of grandeur.

I look at the people around me, listen to them talk about women: sluts, whores, stick'em in the pooper, fuck'em & forget'em, cheating on my wife (cool, me too!).

I listen to them talk about other ethnic cultures: niggers, spics, fucking monkeys, kill'em all, slopes, chinks, dirty mexicans.

I listen to them talk about having fun: get drunk and fuck some whore, beat the shit out of some body, drink until I puke, make fun of someone because their different.

I look at these people and I imagine that I'm better than them. I see myself as being more evolved than this. Then I wonder how much of this crap is getting through to me. How much of this crap am I going to drag back to my friends and family? How low am I sinking just from working beside these pigs?

I have no friends on this ship.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-06-06T15:39:00.000-04:00

If you can't beat'em, burry your head in the sand.

That's my motto for the week. I found some C++ tutorials I downloaded at some point on my computer. I figure if I start programming I won't have to talk to people as often. That's the plan anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if it backfired. Signals for privacy seem to draw stupid people in droves. If I sound bitter it's because I am. I have very little respect for the people in my shop.

Maybe I'm being too hard on them. I mean, maybe where they come from the "motorcycle fart imitation" is a mark of high society...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-06-04T15:38:00.000-04:00

Apathy has taken hold. Doing the same job day in and day out for three months with only one day off. They promised to give us a liberty port, then cancelled it.

Now I want to kick this idiot beside me because he thinks it's funny to make strange sounds with his mouth. I just think it's annoying. I can see where he's coming from, though. I was in the funny stage last week. Now I'm just sick of the whole thing.

I asked Top Carter if he could send me to the brig for a couple days, just for a change of scenery. He laughed. I don't think he realized I was serious. What I wouldn't give for some time alone...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-31T15:37:00.000-04:00

I finished a game of Ricochet today with a score just shy of 580,000 points. That puts me second in the running for highest score in our shop. This is what we do for fun. This is what your tax dollars provide: a highly trained intelligence team that can play a mean game of bouncy ball...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

I want to write something witty. Something amazing and inspiring, but I have no muse. My creativity ran dry today. Why, I cannot tell. Suffice to say, monotony has sabotaged my creativity.

Don't worry, I'll just let my mind entertain itself. Isolation can do amazing things to sanity...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-29T15:34:00.001-04:00

I joined a INTP forum to see if there are actually people out there like me. It's true. Scary, but true... On this forum, I found simultaneous conversations about religion (true, false, or fairy tale), American foreign policy in the Mid East (laissez-faire, evil empire syndrome, help the needy, who cares), and a tactical/moral debate over killing sredips (think backwards).

I just read the entire Wheel of Time series in one day. Don't believe me? You can too! Click here to find out how you can read a Book-A-Minute!

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-28T15:33:00.000-04:00

I found a test online that you can take to find your Myers-Briggs Type: Click Me!

Let me know what you come up with. I'm curious to know what kind of people I hang out with. My elitist lifestyle won't let me associate with peons. Whoever reads this, consider your relationship to me under evaluation...

Just kidding.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

INTP: Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perciever

That's my personality type according to a Myers-Briggs test. I took the test out of a book called "Do What You Are: Discover the perfect career for you through the secrets of personality type". Luckily, the path I travel (computers/networking) is recommended highly for my personality. The book also recommended photographer, artist, philosopher, and college teacher of advanced students. I was quite impressed with how accurately the above link described me. Now I have an excuse for being aloof: it's my nature!

Well, nothing happened here that I can talk about. Ask me about this float in ten years. By then anything that happened here will be declassified. Now, before I forget, could you sign this non-disclosure agreement...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-22T15:31:00.000-04:00

In the last two days I've reloaded my computer 4 times. Right now it's behaving, but I don't think it likes the factory drivers for the motherboard anymore. Oh well. Downloading the updated versions takes a few days with the bandwidth here. It's working fine without them, so I don't think I'll even try. All it has to do out here is play MP3s and DVDs.

Well, I think I'm going to go pump some iron...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

I have email again!

Other than that, nothing to report.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-20T15:30:00.000-04:00

I just found out that I gave my mom a great Mother's Day gift. I paid off her car! Well, my dad paid off the car with the money from my Tbird. If this was a tactic to keep me from buying the Neon, don't worry about it. I'm not buying anything until I get back. I'd still like to have it put into my account, though. That way I have my life savings ready to blow on the first thing I see. Just kidding.

Attention turns to trucks. I figure that if I want to go the kit car route, a RWD pickup will work just as well as a RWD car. Besides, the truck would come in handy for hauling MGB parts around.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-18T15:29:00.000-04:00

I'm running out of cars to research! If you have any ideas, let me know. I think I'll spend next week looking at bikes. Just a change of scenery.

I noticed that the Honda Insight has dropped in price again. I don't think I could do much to trick out a car like that. Maybe that's what I need.

A stick of RAM just went bad in my computer. Now I'm down to 256 MB. I think I'll manage...

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-16T15:28:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd spiff up the page a little...

Nothing happened today. Go figure.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

Another day on ship..... .. . ...... .... .... .. .

Another paycheck transferred straight to my savings account...

More research in to cars. I swallowed my opinions today and looked into Mustangs and BMW's. I don't want to overlook something that I might like. A Mid-90's M3 could be in my price range. V6, RWD, 50/50 weight distribution... It might be a little posh for me, but I'm sure I could find one that's been beat up inside. Pretty isn't high on my priority list.

I don't think a Mustang has the kind of handling I want. I'm not looking for a drag car. I want a Autocross or Solo I contender. Think of an oversized Go-kart. That's what I want.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-14T15:27:00.000-04:00

Man is it hard to find a new RWD car for under $20k. Well, nothing that can do more than go in a straight line really fast. I'm starting to think I should just buy an econobox to get me around. Something that I will have no interest in fixing up at all. A Suzuki Swift springs to mind...

I'd like to get a MR2 Spyder, but I have trouble justifying a second convertible. Especially when neither of them have much storage space.

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-13T15:18:00.000-04:00

To respond to Steph's email, I vowed never to own another automatic when I left my Tbird with Dad.

The Neon (95-99 coupe) is actually a really good car for the money. I thought the same thing you did when I first saw it, but after driving it, I really liked it. Sure the interior looks gaudy and from the outside it looks cute, but it handles well and runs great. Besides, I've always been a fan of sleeper cars...

I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was tempted to buy a Ford Focus. Then I found this. Forgive me Keith... I shall not be swayed by the Blue Oval again!

Archive: basikx.net

2002-05-12T15:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!

We can't send any emails off ship right now, but I fooled them. They didn't take away my internet access. So, I say what I want here. I just can't tell you where I am or what I'm doing. Sound mysterious? Exciting? It's not. I love ya, ma!