An Espeon's Confusion

Limerance

2008-02-11T04:19:19Z

Well, crap. As Zephyr would say, wwini?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerence

Somehow, I feel like I've been deluding myself for the last four and a half years. I guess I should have realized that real love can't possibly be so pathological.

Genki Rockets - Heavenly Star

2008-02-02T07:58:41Z

Wow... I have just discovered an awesomely amazing song. Plus, it has a really awesome music video to go with it.

Sketchy YouTube link: "Heavenly Star" by Genki Rockets

So the really crazy kicker is that apparently, this is actually completely synthesized. The voice is a melded sample of a lot of other voices, and the video is completely computer animation. Lumi doesn't exist!

But whatever... it's still such an amazing song. So happy! ^.^

"Let's get away, fly away / I found the path to paradise..."

PSA: SMTP TLS in Evolution in Debian unstable is currently broken

2008-01-14T03:51:58Z

As the subject says. TLS encryption for sending your email over SMTP is currently broken in Evolution in Debian unstable (package version 2.12.2-1+b1). For MIT users, that means that your mail is probably going out via outgoing-legacy.mit.edu instead of outgoing.mit.edu. For more information, see Debian bug #460615.

Adventures in faxing (Linux still fails... -.-)

2008-01-11T16:59:12Z

The Tech's fax machine is broken, so I was trying to get my laptop set up to send faxes. It was an exercise in futility. -.-

Apparently, efax is the simplest program for sending faxes in Linux. (It's available in Debian in the efax package.) For Google, I'm trying this on a Thinkpad T42p.

Problem 1: It defaults to trying /dev/ttyS1 (COM2, I think). Solution: Edit /etc/efax.rc to change DEV=ttyS1 to DEV=ttyS0.

Full output of error messages for Google:

espeoneefi@ceruleancity:~/Desktop$ fax send 96172588226 faxcover.ps faxpage.ps 
faxcover.ps is postscript...
faxpage.ps is postscript...
efax: Fri Jan 11 11:45:26 2008 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 45:26 opened /dev/ttyS1
efax: 45:26 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:26 failed -> faxcover.ps.001
efax: 45:26 failed -> faxpage.ps.001
efax: 45:26 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:28 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:30 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:32 sync: dropping DTR
efax: 45:32 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:33 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:33 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:35 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:37 sync: sending escapes
efax: 45:37 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:37 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:37 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:37 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:37 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:37 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:38 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:41 Error: fax device write: Input/output error
efax: 45:43 Error: sync: modem not responding
efax: 45:43 Error: tcgetattr on fd=3 failed: Input/output error
efax: 45:43 done, returning 2 (unrecoverable error)
There were errors (see T96172588226.efax.log).

Problem 2: The modem in the Thinkpad T42p (listed in lspci as "Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 01)") apparently is a soft modem. Solution: Install the sl-modem-daemon package. Note that sl-modem-daemon is in non-free. Also, the DEV line in /etc/efax.rc needs to be changed to DEV=modem.

Full output of error messages for Google:

espeoneefi@ceruleancity:~/Desktop$ fax send 96172588226 faxcover.ps faxpage.ps 
faxcover.ps.nnn is up-to-date
faxpage.ps.nnn is up-to-date
efax: Fri Jan 11 11:50:30 2008 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 50:30 opened /dev/ttyS0
efax: 50:36 sync: dropping DTR
efax: 50:41 sync: sending escapes
efax: 50:46 Error: sync: modem not responding
efax: 50:46 failed -> faxcover.ps.001
efax: 50:46 failed -> faxpage.ps.001
efax: 50:46 done, returning 4 (no response from modem)
There were errors (see T96172588226.efax.log).

Also, the contents of T96172588226.efax.log:

efax: Fri Jan 11 11:50:30 2008 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 50:30 compiled Jan 23 2006 12:58:54
efax: 50:30 TIFF version 4.2 file (little-endian)
efax: 50:30 TIFF directory at 8 with 20 tags, last image.
efax: 50:30 page 1 : faxcover.ps.001 + 338 : 1728x2156 @ 204x196 dpi TIFF/FAX
efax: 50:30 TIFF version 4.2 file (little-endian)
efax: 50:30 TIFF directory at 8 with 20 tags, last image.
efax: 50:30 page 2 : faxpage.ps.001 + 338 : 1728x2156 @ 204x196 dpi TIFF/FAX
efax: 50:30 argv[0]=efax
efax: 50:30 argv[1]=-v
efax: 50:30 argv[2]=ewin
efax: 50:30 argv[3]=-v
efax: 50:30 argv[4]=chewmainrxtf
efax: 50:30 argv[5]=-d/dev/ttyS0
efax: 50:30 argv[6]=-x
efax: 50:30 argv[7]=/var/lock/LCK..ttyS0
efax: 50:30 argv[8]=-iZ
efax: 50:30 argv[9]=-i&FE&D2S7=120
efax: 50:30 argv[10]=-i&C0
efax: 50:30 argv[11]=-iM1L0
efax: 50:30 argv[12]=-l
efax: 50:30 argv[13]=+1 800 555 5555
efax: 50:30 argv[14]=-kZ
efax: 50:30 argv[15]=-h
efax: 50:30 argv[16]=2008/01/11 11:50 +1 800 555 5555 Put Your Name Here p. %d/%d
efax: 50:30 argv[17]=-t
efax: 50:30 argv[18]=T96172588226
efax: 50:30 argv[19]=faxcover.ps.001
efax: 50:30 argv[20]=faxpage.ps.001
efax: 50:30 created text lock file /var/lock/LCK..ttyS0
efax: 50:30 opened /dev/ttyS0
efax: 50:30 command  "Q0V1"
efax: 50:30 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:32 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:34 command  "Q0V1"
efax: 50:34 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:36 sync: dropping DTR
efax: 50:37 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:39 command  "Q0V1"
efax: 50:39 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:41 sync: sending escapes
efax: 50:42 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:44 command  "Q0V1"
efax: 50:44 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 50:46 Error: sync: modem not responding
efax: 50:46 failed -> faxcover.ps.001
efax: 50:46 failed -> faxpage.ps.001
efax: 50:46 read HDB pid 17081 [     17081] from /var/lock/LCK..ttyS0 (our pid)
efax: 50:46 removed lock file /var/lock/LCK..ttyS0
efax: 50:46 done, returning 4 (no response from modem)

Problem 3: Apparently I can't get a dial tone. The standard output just says "unrecoverable error," but the detailed log file shows that the error is really "NO CARRIER."

Full output of error messages for Google:

espeoneefi@ceruleancity:~/Desktop$ fax send 96172588226 faxcover.ps faxpage.ps 
faxcover.ps.nnn is up-to-date
faxpage.ps.nnn is up-to-date
efax: Fri Jan 11 11:54:44 2008 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 54:44 removed stale lock /var/lock/LCK..modem from pid 9437
efax: 54:44 opened /dev/modem
efax: 54:45 using modem:1 in class 1
efax: 54:45 dialing T96172588226
efax: 54:45 Error: dial command failed
efax: 54:45 failed -> faxcover.ps.001
efax: 54:45 failed -> faxpage.ps.001
efax: 54:45 Warning: unexpected response "ERROR"
efax: 54:45 done, returning 2 (unrecoverable error)
There were errors (see T96172588226.efax.log).

Also, the contents of T96172588226.efax.log:

efax: Fri Jan 11 11:54:44 2008 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 54:44 compiled Jan 23 2006 12:58:54
efax: 54:44 TIFF version 4.2 file (little-endian)
efax: 54:44 TIFF directory at 8 with 20 tags, last image.
efax: 54:44 page 1 : faxcover.ps.001 + 338 : 1728x2156 @ 204x196 dpi TIFF/FAX
efax: 54:44 TIFF version 4.2 file (little-endian)
efax: 54:44 TIFF directory at 8 with 20 tags, last image.
efax: 54:44 page 2 : faxpage.ps.001 + 338 : 1728x2156 @ 204x196 dpi TIFF/FAX
efax: 54:44 argv[0]=efax
efax: 54:44 argv[1]=-v
efax: 54:44 argv[2]=ewin
efax: 54:44 argv[3]=-v
efax: 54:44 argv[4]=chewmainrxtf
efax: 54:44 argv[5]=-d/dev/modem
efax: 54:44 argv[6]=-x
efax: 54:44 argv[7]=/var/lock/LCK..modem
efax: 54:44 argv[8]=-iZ
efax: 54:44 argv[9]=-i&FE&D2S7=120
efax: 54:44 argv[10]=-i&C0
efax: 54:44 argv[11]=-iM1L0
efax: 54:44 argv[12]=-l
efax: 54:44 argv[13]=+1 800 555 5555
efax: 54:44 argv[14]=-kZ
efax: 54:44 argv[15]=-h
efax: 54:44 argv[16]=2008/01/11 11:54 +1 800 555 5555 Put Your Name Here p. %d/%d
efax: 54:44 argv[17]=-t
efax: 54:44 argv[18]=T96172588226
efax: 54:44 argv[19]=faxcover.ps.001
efax: 54:44 argv[20]=faxpage.ps.001
efax: 54:44 read HDB pid 9437 [      9437] from /var/lock/LCK..modem - stale
efax: 54:44 removed stale lock /var/lock/LCK..modem from pid 9437
efax: 54:44 created text lock file /var/lock/LCK..modem
efax: 54:44 opened /dev/modem
efax: 54:44 command  "Q0V1"
efax: 54:44 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 54:44 .296 [ATQ0V1]
efax: 54:44 .296 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:44 command  "Z"
efax: 54:44 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:44 .417 [ATZ]
efax: 54:44 .417 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:44 command  "&FE&D2S7=120"
efax: 54:44 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:44 .521 [AT&FE&D2S7=120]
efax: 54:44 .521 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:44 command  "&C0"
efax: 54:44 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:44 .618 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:44 command  "M1L0"
efax: 54:44 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:44 .718 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:44 command  "E0"
efax: 54:44 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:44 .818 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:44 command  "I3"
efax: 54:44 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:44 .918 [modem:1]
efax: 54:44 .918 [alsa modem driver]
efax: 54:44 .918 [OK]
efax: 54:44 response "OK"
efax: 54:45 command  "+FCLASS=?"
efax: 54:45 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:45 .018 [0,1,8]
efax: 54:45 .018 [OK]
efax: 54:45 response "OK"
efax: 54:45 command  "+FCLASS=1"
efax: 54:45 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:45 .118 [OK]
efax: 54:45 response "OK"
efax: 54:45 using modem:1 in class 1
efax: 54:45 command  "+FTM=?"
efax: 54:45 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:45 .218 [24,48,72,73,74,96,97,98,121,122,145,146]
efax: 54:45 .218 [OK]
efax: 54:45 response "OK"
efax: 54:45 dialing T96172588226
efax: 54:45 command  "DT96172588226"
efax: 54:45 waiting 120.0 s
efax: 54:45 .218 [NO CARRIER]
efax: 54:45 response "NO CARRIER"
efax: 54:45 Error: dial command failed
efax: 54:45 failed -> faxcover.ps.001
efax: 54:45 failed -> faxpage.ps.001
efax: 54:45 .218 [ERROR]
efax: 54:45 Warning: unexpected response "ERROR"
efax: 54:45 command  "Q0V1"
efax: 54:45 waiting 2.0 s
efax: 54:45 .318 [OK]
efax: 54:45 response "OK"
efax: 54:45 command  "Z"
efax: 54:45 waiting 5.0 s
efax: 54:45 .418 [OK]
efax: 54:45 response "OK"
efax: 54:45 read HDB pid 17751 [     17751] from /var/lock/LCK..modem (our pid)
efax: 54:45 removed lock file /var/lock/LCK..modem
efax: 54:45 done, returning 2 (unrecoverable error)

I finally gave up and hooked the line up to one of our oldest iMacs. (Ironically, non of the newer machines have modem ports anymore.) Of course, faxing worked out of the box in OS X. Sigh.

Where is home?

2008-01-06T17:32:22Z

Maybe I've been spending way too much time at the Tech office.

Usually, when I come back to Boston from Memphis, I get a big happy wave of "I'm home" when I get back to Random and my room here. But last night, I was hit by a sudden feeling of alienation and unfamiliarity instead, along with a feeling of "crap, I'm really on my own."

I guess part of it is that my mom's been spoiling me the last week because of my sickness. And now I'm still somewhat sick (still have this really annoying cough), but on my own.

It's still really weird for me to feel this way. I guess for once, instead of feeling I've spent too long at home, this time I haven't spent enough time. On the other hand, it could also just be mixed up feelings from the impending start of IAP already. There were a lot of things that I meant to do before IAP started... -.-

Anyway, in other news, does anyone have suggestions for PE this IAP? I need one more. I was thinking about Group X - Boot Camp, but at this point, I'm not sure my coughing lungs can keep up.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and thoughts on marathoning

2008-01-03T10:16:30Z

I just finished marathoning the last arc of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Wow, what a rush.

Gurren Lagann is an action/adventure anime from Gainax. It starts with a world where humans have been forced to live underground. Simon and Kamina, however, fight their way onto the surface with the help of a strange mecha that Simon finds, and the plot just keeps spiraling and spiraling out from there.

More than anything else, this series is fun. The characters are crazy, the mecha are crazy, the fights are crazy, the plot is crazy, the music is crazy, everything's crazy, and it's all awesome.

Gurren Lagann is one of those few series that is able to walk the tightrope of a plot of epic proportions without falling into the pit of overpretentiousness. With a core theme of "believe in yourself," Gurren Lagann treads pretty deeply into the territory requiring a suspension of disbelief. However, with just enough realism and masterful storytelling prowess, it makes you forget all about suspending disbelief and leaves you just believing, believing in the power of that drill that will pierce the heavens!

The soundtrack is especially awesome. The choreography between the music and the action is amazing. The soundtrack was what made a number of the fight scenes in Gurren Lagann not just good but awesome scenes. "Row row, fight the power!"

A definite recommendation, something that will be worth your time to watch.

Now... the thoughts on marathoning. This series came to me through a recommendation that had this series pegged as a masterpiece. After marathoning through it, I'm not sure I agree, but I think the difference is in the pace we saw the episodes.

I can tell... there's something lost when you marathon a series like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann with such a strong climax (or series of climaxes). Having to wait for a week before the next episode comes out just increases the anticipation. With a great series like Gurren Lagann, which gets awesomer and awesomer as the episodes go by and which can live up to the expectations placed on it week after week, that extra time between episodes makes each successive episode that satisfies your built up anticipation that much greater.

I could feel this with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Probably part of what made that series so special to me was that I was following it pretty much in parallel with its original broadcasts in Japan. Each episode was watched for the first time after a week of anticipation, and thus, when each episode exceeded those already high expectations, they seemed even greater than they probably would have without the week lag.

Now, that following of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in parallel with the Japanese broadcast dates was only possible because of the almost-like-clockwork subbing work of a.f.k. a.f.k.'s subs were almost always ready on the same day of the week every week, and that gave my anticipation an even stronger bent, since I knew when exactly to anticipate for.

This is something that wouldn't have been possible five years ago, I think. It's only recently that some fansub groups have become so efficient, and I think they do an amazing service for the shows that they sub. Watching a well-constructed show an episode at a time for n weeks, giving each episode a week to settle and be digested, being a part of the unfolding of a story as it is being told, is really a unique experience that can't be matched by irregular releases or by watching episodes in batches on DVDs.

Sigh, script kiddies

2008-01-02T03:10:05Z

Public service announcement...

(06:56:03 PM) EV1 Mohawk: your friends only posts have been stolen: [link removed to protect the innocent, though for Google's sake, it contained nimp.org/?u=bantown]

If you get an IM like the above just after you post to your LiveJournal, do not click the link. It pulls up a constantly moving window with some rather unpleasant images and an embedded audio file that announces, "I'm looking at gay porn." It also apparently tries to open a bunch of copies of itself, but Iceweasel blocked that.

Luckily for me, I'm running Linux, so I was able to pull up an xterm and kill Iceweasel without much problem. Because Linux users are such a tiny target, too, I think I've avoided lasting damage to my installation. There are reports from Windows users that the page also nefariously tries to install a bunch of malware (the best one I've found being http://weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com/147993.html).

(Sidenote: I consider myself a rather knowledgeable computer user, yet I found myself instinctively clicking a link from an untrusted source. It kinda drove home how Windows computers getting infected with all kinds of stuff can only be blamed on user ignorance so far...)

Note that the AIM "user" that IMs you is a bot which may be relaying. It uses the same technology, it seems, as TheGreatHatsby. Thus, don't be too put off if the person you talk to afterward seems rather confused as well. (This information is mostly via http://community.livejournal.com/themissinghat/115733.html.)

An interesting thing is that the bot master himself may jump into the conversation as well. I had a rather interesting conversation with him. Something that I find really interesting is the instinctive anti-gay streak that runs in these kinds of people. There's probably a social studies thesis somewhere in there. :P

Anyway, in the course of the conversation, he tried to impress me by barraging me with IMs from different screen names. Of course, Pidgin just collapsed all of them into one tabbed window, but it was rather tedious to close them all. Just for the record, screen names you should watch out for include AfricaPWNDNorway, BlackManAnal, chodidvtech, EV1 Mohawk, Ev1S TravisB, ihaveabigrotty, JewsAreOurMisery, plasticbrained, TypicalRottyLovr, and Vote Hitlerly 08.

The untimely demise of my Sony MDR-EX81LP/B earphones

2008-01-02T00:53:20Z

Well. That sucks.

My Sony MDR-EX81LP/B earphones have been my main audio device since I bought them about two years and three months ago. They're not bad for ~$35 earphones, but they definitely have a design flaw. The connection between the end of the clip that goes behind the ear and the insulation at the start of the wire is too weak.

That wire insulation had detached itself from the clip by a few months after I got the headphones, exposing the metal wiring within, but the earphones still worked, so I kept using them just fine.

However, it seems that I've finally put too much stress on the metal wire. My right earbud has quit working, and upon closer inspection, metal wire has pretty clearly frayed apart.

Sigh... I guess it's time for new earphones. Anyone have suggestions? This time, I think I'm looking in the ~$100 range.

Zephyr

2007-12-31T16:45:11Z

I've been using Zephyr for a few weeks now, and there are two things I've noticed. First, Zephyr's communication model really is more of an IRC model than an IM model, especially for activity classes, which roughly translate to IRC rooms. Second, Zephyr personal classes may in fact be one of the first instances of a micro-blogging service. It really does have that feeling of being a lightweight way to broadcast things about yourself and interesting things you come across. (BTW, if you're also on Zephyr, feel free to subscribe to my class eefi.)

In other news, I was rather miserable yesterday afternoon and evening with some cold or flu or something. However, I ended up sweating it out under three blankets last night, and my fever broke sometime while I was sleeping, so now it's back to just an irritated throat and slightly stuffy sinuses. I guess if I'm going to get sick, it's better to do it at home than at school...

Sick :/

2007-12-30T16:16:28Z

Sigh... I seem to have picked up a light sinus something or other. It's causing intermittent headaches and last night my throat started feeling really irritated, probably from the drain-off. The headaches aren't helped by the fact that I'm having to wear my backup glasses right now, since my main ones are with Costco Optical for new lenses (apparently since 3 years ago when I got them, my astigmatism has gotten better but my left eye has gotten more myopic).

Anime recommendations: ef - a tale of memories

2007-12-29T08:02:39Z

I finished ef - a tale of memories today, and I can definitely say that I recommend it. It's not without its weaknesses, but it does more than enough to set itself apart from standard anime fare.

ef - a tale of memories is a 12-episode romance/drama from the animation studio Shaft. Apparently, it's based on a two-part visual novel called ef: a fairy tale of the two. ("ef" is pronounced like the name of the letter "f".)

It does a powerful job at its basic romantic and dramatic elements. For example, in one of the later episodes, it's amazing how you know that a tragedy is coming through the foreshadowing throughout the episode, and yet when it happens, it still happens in a way that takes your breath away.

In addition, there are a number of other themes, especially surrounding memories and reaching for your dreams, that are conveyed quite well and give the series an extra layer of meaning.

More interestingly, for me at least, ef - a tale of memories really shows some of the power of the anime medium, a way of storytelling that live action can't really match. ef - a tale of memories is very artistic, with stylistic effects thrown in all over the place, but which seem quite natural in the already stylized pictures of anime.

In previous Shaft endeavors, Shaft's striking visual style had hints of brilliance, but more often than not it ended up distracting from rather than enhancing the core story. But in ef, the effects work, and they're crucial to turning a good anime with a strong story into a great piece of art.

When you add some great voice acting, you get some really memorable sequences. The end of episode 7, one example of a unique Shaft presentation of story backed by some amazing voice acting, especially comes to mind as one of the most amazing scenes I've seen in an anime.

ef is not without its flaws, and they keep it from being quite masterpiece level for me, but I definitely think that it can be labeled a great anime. If you've got some time to burn this break, I recommend giving ef - a tale of memories a try.

Eating alone

2007-12-28T04:55:34Z

Tonight I went to a dinner party with my family and a couple other families at a Chinese restaurant somewhat in the outskirts of Memphis. Because of its location and the fact that it was Thursday night, there weren't that many other people there.

During dinner, my brother pointed out a 40-something (?) Chinese man sitting at a booth by himself eating dinner. He was kind of mocking him, but I felt my insides clench, and a sense of foreboding, almost like I was seeing the Ghost of Christmas Future.

10, 15 years down the road, will the one eating dinner alone at an out-of-the-way Chinese restaurant be me?

419 by cell phone

2007-12-27T18:06:31Z

Last night, someone tried to pull a Nigeria scam on me from Ghana. Not so unusual...

...except they did it via cell phone.

Now that was a rather unique experience. They called once at 1 a.m., and another time at 5:30 a.m. (CST). The caller ID showed two different Ghana numbers. The somewhat freaky thing was that they had my real name associated with my cell phone number, so it was rather targeted.

It's not every day that you get a con artist calling you from Ghana, so I tried to string them along for a bit, but unfortunately, the Ghana accent apparently makes enunciating some English consonants rather unnatural, and the cell phone quality audio connection didn't help. I could make out that they knew my name, and that they were from Ghana, and that they wanted help with something in the United States, but everything else was an indecipherable mess.

I'm not too worried, because I haven't exactly been very careful with my cell phone number, and a name and cell phone number is not exactly identifying for anything serious, but I guess I should look into getting a credit report a couple weeks from now, just to make sure.

Zephyr

2007-12-09T11:53:12Z

I've finally decided to jump on the Zephyr bandwagon. If anyone has suggestions for interesting classes/instances that I should subscribe to, feel free to Zephyr me.

R.I.P. little black pencil bag with the yellow zipper

2007-12-02T06:41:37Z

I finally irrecoverably lost my little pencil bag today, I think.

I know I had it with me just before I left my room at Random to see Madness at Mokuba, the MIT Dance Theater Ensemble show this semester. I know that it was gone by the time I was standing in line at Anna's to get dinner after the show. I've looked in my room, I've looked on the path to the theater, and I've looked around where I sat in the theater, and I couldn't find it.

I'm really sad... I've had that pencil bag for 6? 7? 8? years now. With its cylindrical shape and its perfect length, it fit 7 or so pens and pencils quite compactly. It was the perfect way to keep pens and pencils always available in my pocket, and it's been through a lot of use and abuse. I've almost lost it a few times, but I've always found it again. I don't think I'm going to be so lucky this time...

Luckily, I do have one other like it (this one with a blue zipper), but it's not quite the same, and if I lose this other one, then I'll have to go out and find a new one. Sigh...

So that's what hiking boots are for...

2007-11-12T19:40:04Z

This past weekend was Tech retreat. Once again, we rented a large house just north of North Conway, NH, and spent the weekend there. Lots of fun was had. ^.^

One of the things that happened was hiking. The group I went with went up the Liberty Trail on Mt. Chocorua. We started around 2 p.m., so we didn't make it all the way to the summit, but we did make it the 3.2 miles up to the cabin that's close to the summit on Liberty Trail.

After the initial part, the trail mainly followed various small brooks. They were mostly dry, since it was the fall, but some still had some amount of water or mud in them. Having a trail that follows brooks makes sense; after all, those paths are already cleared of trees for you. But if you're going to hike through those, it would help a lot to have waterproof shoes that can take stepping into an inch or two of water without getting your feet wet.

I guess that's why hiking boots are the way they are, and why hiking boots are useful for hiking. Tennis shoes... not so much. I had to be rather careful at various parts of the trail to keep from getting too much water soaking through my shoe...

Another thing about hiking boots is that they tend to have firmer soles than tennis shoes. That's another thing that makes sense for hiking... sure, soft soles are nice for walking around the rock hard sidewalks and floors of a city, but harder soles are just fine for the softer ground of a hiking trail. Plus, harder soles probably give you surer footing on various hiking surfaces than soft tennis shoe soles. I was definitely having footing issues toward the end of the hike as it got steeper. (The ice didn't help, either...)

The end of daylight saving time

2007-11-06T01:13:33Z

It's that time of year again... I walked out of my 4&ndsah;5 p.m. class to a dark sky...

I was feeling kinda screwed, because I thought I had a lab due at midnight. It was 6 p.m. or so, and I had yet to get around to starting, and this is a lab in a class where each of the test runs takes about an hour.

So I opened up the lab handout PDF, and it says due November 7. Which is not today. That was rather interesting...

Though I ended up skipping various classes during the day today taking care of other things in preparation for working on this lab all through the night. That skipping was apparently for nothing, though... Ah, well...

Guitar Hero 3

2007-10-30T15:47:43Z

The Tech just got Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii.

Oh, crap. >.>

Don't trust free services (or how I lost a couple hours of email)

2007-10-29T08:52:49Z

For at least five years now, I've been using DynDNS's free Dynamic DNS service to keep the hostname eep.dnsalias.org pointed to my own server. The service worked quite well for me, and I was pretty satisfied.

The main function that my server does for me is to be my email server. Ever since high school, recognizing that my school addresses are probably ephemeral and not fully trusting online services, I've used espeoneefi@eep.dnsalias.org as my permanent email address, the email address I use for most things that aren't school-related. In addition, because I want server-side filtering, I've redirected all of my MIT mail to espeoneefi@eep.dnsalias.org.

The problem arose when DynDNS (apparently recently) changed the way it treats free accounts. DynDNS now expires accounts that have no activity in a 30-day period. Of course, since I have eep.dnsalias.org pointed to my static IP address here at Random, I definitely have no need to log in to my DynDNS account at all, much less at least once every thirty days.

Now came the comedy of errors. I had originally registered the DynDNS account using a Yahoo! email address (Gmail had yet to exist) from way back in the day (not very useful to have a DynDNS account tied to an email address that's dependent on that account in case something goes wrong with that account, after all). However, I almost never check that Yahoo! account anymore. Unfortunately, the "your account will expire in 48 hours" warning email got sent to that Yahoo! account, I missed it, and the eep.dnsalias.org hostname stopped resolving on Monday around noon.

I unfortunately didn't notice this until a couple hours later, when I ended up making a new account and getting the eep.dnsalias.org hostname set back up. However, in the meantime, the MIT mail servers were getting hostname lookup failures for espeoneefi@eep.dnsalias.org, and unlike with connection timeouts (e.g., when Random has a power outage or I turn off my server for a bit of maintenance), hostname lookup failures apparently trigger a complete delivery failure and a rejection of the email. Thus, I lost a couple hours of email on Monday afternoon. -.-

Anyway, yeah... the lesson is definitely not to trust free things. For now, I can deal with logging into DynDNS at least once every thirty days, but I guess I really should starting thinking about moving to a real domain someday...

Classes, fall 2007

2007-09-06T08:16:00Z

The obligatory "what classes am I taking" post...

6.003: Signals and Systems: Mainly an EE class, but it's required for me to get a course VI degree.
6.163: Strobe Project Laboratory: Yay getting in through the lottery on the first try. Supposedly the most fun course VI lab. Also fulfills my Institute Lab requirement.
6.823: Computer System Architecture: 6.004 on crack. Learning about the cool things (in the architecture design level, not the materials or manufacturing level) that make processors so fast nowadays.
6.UAT: Preparation for Undergraduate Advanced Project: A class to teach me how to talk. Oh, CI-M requirements... -.-
21F.505: Advanced Japanese I: My fifth semester of Japanese. Mainly taking it for the "Ooh, shiny!" factor than anything else at this point. Yay for junior/senior P/D/F.

So... 57 units total, with 12 of those P/D/F. I feel kinda lame. >.>

I did flirt with the idea of taking 18.701 for quite a while on Monday, but then I realized that I didn't really have space in my schedule to complete a full math degree in the coming year, and I'm not sure that putting myself through the 18.701/18.702 sequence just for the hell of it is quite worth the stress that it'd cause. I guess I'll try my hand at writing or something this year. >.>

Bling bling on my laptop!

2007-09-03T17:47:05Z

I finally got around to setting up compiz on my laptop yesterday, and man, it's sweet.

It wasn't a totally smooth, process, though. After installing the compiz Debian package, I had to battle with this bug in which compiz has no plugins enabled by default. One symptom of that is that when you go compiz --replace as suggested by the README.Debian, all of your window borders disappear.

Luckily, I found this bug and the workaround for it, so after a bit of gconf tweaking, I had a composited desktop.

Other notes to beware of... As far as I can tell, changes to gconf settings require a restart of compiz to take effect... By default, compiz has the top right corner set as a hot corner for the scale plugin (the equivalent of Mac OS X's Exposé functionality). To change that, you need to modify the /apps/compiz/plugins/scale/allscreens/options/initiate_edge gconf setting... To get compiz to start automatically with your GNOME session, add the command compiz --replace to the list of startup programs found in System | Preferences | Sessions... Beware the bug that turning on /apps/compiz/general/screenn/options/unredirect_fullscreen_windows breaks gnome-screensaver... Currently, it seems that Totem (with the GStreamer backend) cannot play video while in regular windowed mode, but playing videos fullscreen does work...

End of summer and Orientation

2007-09-02T04:42:19Z

It's been a very hectic two weeks.

Two weeks ago was my last week in my summer internship at Akamai. The end had a distinct note of finality. On Friday afternoon, I transferred all the files I had been working on to my manager, closed all my screen sessions, logged off my long-running X session, and turned in my RFID Akamai access badge.

This has been the first summer job that I've successfully held down and persevered through for the entire summer. In the end, I made a pretty penny—$11,000 before taxes. I've only actually gotten about 70% of that so far; we'll see how much of the withholdings I can get back come tax time.

It was a very good experience for me, being my first experience in actual industry work. I'm still not exactly the best worker, though. I'm not sure how well my mentor and manager liked my work. My mentor definitely said at the end that he thought I could have done more (been more efficient) during the summer. And there was no effort made to encourage me to come back next summer or for a full-time job. Sigh.

(Of course, I also am not sure I really fit in a company like Akamai, anyway. It's still a little sad, though, as far as building contacts for future recommendations goes...)

Anyway, right after work ended (and even a little before, with the Friday Residence Exploration Daily Confusion), I got launched into dealing with Orientation stuff. More specifically, dealing with daily issues of The Tech and dealing with Tours. Basically, all of my waking hours in the past week have been dedicated to one or the other, and my non-waking hours have been erratic and seriously lacking. By the last couple of days, I've been really close to dead.

Sometimes I wonder whether I really made the right decision the many years ago. Choosing The Tech over Random... it's sad in a lot of ways. I've pretty much ghosted from Random, something made especially evident when I didn't help with Rush at all for the first time this year. I really do like this place, and wish I could find a place for myself in it, but I've just failed.

I don't exactly make friends very easily, and I generally do it with people whom I have some other reason to hang out with, like doing psets in the same class or working on The Tech. It's hard for me to connect on a simple human level. I wandered around a couple of the lounges tonight, and I just couldn't bring myself to socialize with the new frosh, to get to know them. Working at The Tech... I have a reason to be there other than socializing—doing layout—so I actually go and spend time there, which means I spend less time at Random, which means I make closer friends there than I do at Random, which means I have even more reason to spend time there, and into the vicious cycle.

I don't know how to fix it, and it makes me sad. I just barely know some of the '10s at this point. Who knows whether any of the '11s will know who I am before I graduate and have to leave. And there are certain people here, too, who I really wish I could get to know better...

One last thing, also depressing, I guess, but, well, when you get too little sleep, I guess the depressing thoughts come more easily. A week and a half ago, I learned that I had been operating under quite a delusion for the previous month. It's funny how easily it is to read unintended things into words when you really, really want those things to be true. I still don't really know what I should do going forward, but at some point, I really should just tell myself to cut my losses, give up, and move on.

The end is near! And it's not going to be pretty.

2007-08-22T15:22:49Z

The end of the summer is barreling at me way too quickly. Between wrapping up work, various things that have to happen for The Tech, and other activities, I have way too many things to do in the next week, and especially before Friday. And it doesn't help when I get distracted for a few hours by non-essential things like setting up The Tech's new 5.1 surround sound system. And other inconsequential things like sleep. Argh! -.-

Accounting is clear as mud

2007-08-20T07:27:38Z

I've been considering switching to GnuCash (from hand-written checkbooks) for my personal accounting needs, and as part of that, I've read parts of the GnuCash manual. It's been an interesting introduction to "real" accounting methodology and what double-entry bookkeeping actually means. I guess in the end, it does help make keeping track of various things easier, but really, the basic paradigms of it are so incredibly awkward...

It also doesn't help that the traditional terminology associated with it is as clear as mud. For example, I came across this "explaining" debits and credits from part of the GnuCash concepts guide (at the very bottom):

Remember the terms debit and credit discussed in Accounting Concepts? Contrary to popular belief and even some dictionary definitions, accounting debits and credits do not mean decrease and increase. The only constant definition of debits and credits is that debits are left-column entries and credits are right-column entries. In fact, debits and credits each increase certain types of accounts and decrease others. In asset and expense type accounts, debits increase the balance and credits decrease the balance. In liability, equity and income type accounts, credits increase the balance and debits decrease the balance.

With such consistent terminology like this, it's no wonder it's so easy to cook the books... >.>

hash_set overhead hurts

2007-08-16T16:33:47Z

For work, one of the programs I've written has to keep track of a large number (~2,000,000) of sets of IP addresses (though the majority of the sets have just 1 IP address and the vast majority have fewer than 5). These are specifically sets because I only ever want one copy of the IP address per set, even though I might try to insert the same IP address a whole lot of times.

Well, I did the natural thing and used hash_set for all of the sets (this is STL C++). This resulted in the program eating about 1.8 GB of memory and starting to hit swap. (Luckily, I have 2 GB of RAM in my work machine, so it wasn't too painful.) But about 1 KB of memory required per hash_set seemed really weird...

I puzzled over this for a while, adjusting my data structures in various ways without getting any results, when I finally gave up and switched to using an slist (singly-linked list) and taking the linear time hit for contains operations. Except that when I thought about it more, since all of my sets are so small, that hit really isn't that bad. And my program started running in under 100 MB of memory (and much faster to boot, since I wasn't hitting swap any more).

So yeah... hash_set overhead really hurts. (Although I'm still totally boggled as to how it can possibly hurt as bad as about 1 KB per set...)