Asymptomatic

There must be intelligent life down here

Kids of Torchlight
April 06, 2011

It was just a matter of time until I lured them into my hobbies. Abby and Riley have both been playing Torchlight on the Xbox lately.

I sat with Abby as she chose her character and went through the first 6-7 levels of advancing her character. Her choices were interesting. When choosing a character to start, there are only three options – two male characters, and one female. She chose the female character reluctantly, saying that she was wearing too little clothing. Abby doesn’t care for immodestly dressed women. I’m not sure where this comes from, but she doesn’t care for most magazine ads, either. I told her that as she played the game, it was likely that she would be able to acquire different clothing for her character, so this worry passed.

Power Time
March 31, 2011

Yesterday afternoon when my PC screens went blanks and the UPSes started chiming incessantly, there was one thing I wasn’t worried about: The computers clocks coming back up with the right time. I’m pretty sure that even if the computer didn’t have the battery inside to keep the clock up to date, they all connect to an NTP server to update their time, much like cell phones use the cell network to determine the correct time. This is why I’m surprised at the response of the rest of the house clocks when the power goes out.

Sure, there are a few clocks that just lose the time. That’s to be expected. But then there is the bedroom alarm clock. The bedroom alarm clock, like most of the other clocks in the house, goes dark when the power goes out. But when the power comes back on, it hasn’t lost any time. On the other hand, it hasn’t gained any time, either. This is a dangerous business, since it looks close enough to correct - not flashing annoyingly - to convince you not to mess with it, but it’s off significantly enough to get you into work late.

Squishy Things You Shouldn't Step On
March 30, 2011

Having lived with animals for so long, maybe you would think I would know better. Do you ever walk about the house and encounter - by way of stepping on it - a small, soft, inanimate thing? If you’ve got pets in your house, you know what I’m getting at. It can be a sock or a kids’ toy or even sometimes something harder. But the reaction is the same upon stepping on it: You fall over yourself not to put weight on it.

Why? Because you think it’s one of your pet’s appendages.

The Obvious Insufficiency of News
March 29, 2011

Does anyone else find it odd that TV news is terrible? I realize I’m watching the wrong channels for news, but considering the limited time I spend in front of the TV at all, what news I get is glimpses between entertainment. I was shocked last night to find the news covering a story about ten houses that have pools in their living rooms. I mean, it’s interesting from an entertainment point of view, but from an educational point of view, it’s pointless.

Isn’t the whole idea of TV that the government licenses the frequencies to the stations to ensure that there is some public discourse on the air in addition to the blather? I assume that influence is becoming less prominent as the method of delivery changes. I don’t receive TV over the air anymore, nor do I know of anyone that does. (I’m sure 30 people will now tell me they do.) How can we be sure that the “airwaves” of the future aren’t clogged with tripe like living room swimming pools and American “Idols” over actual news.

Public Speaking
March 28, 2011

Abby’s been preparing a presentation to her class about Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross, who apparently also “did a lot of other stuff”, including being a nurse during the Civil War. Abby’s got the good bits down - she seems to know her subject well, which is the best start for any public speaking gig.

I’ve done a few of my own presentations of this nature over the years. There was the 2nd grade play of Stone Soup, where I was one of the two main characters. Due to a cancellation of a scheduled presentation, my friend and I ended up giving a short presentation on model rocketry to our day camp. I also presented a book report on Tom Sawyer around 7th grade or so, where I did like her and dressed and talked in the period of the character. Both my book and my report used the “N” word, which was quite scandalous in middle school.