Random Stuff - Personal

Another try...

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Thu, 24 May 2007 18:13:13 +0000

Today I updated my blog software (Serendipity) to try to get the comment and trackback spam under control (I received over 27,000 comments and trackbacks over the last months, ain't I popular?) Let's see how much success this will have. Hopefully I'll be able to find valid comments now and breathe some new life into this.

My kind of company

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:18:28 +0000

I wonder if they have a waiting list for job openings...

Ignore the picture

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 03:48:18 +0000

So I'm reading this great book on software development called Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity, which is a title only a software guy could come up with (after all, anybody else would shy away from having to type it all the time; a software guy just writes a macro). Whoever wrote the "Currently" plugin for the blog software I'm using or the people at Amazon.com should probably read the book too, since its title always brings up the picture for this book, which is, while probably cool and interesting, barely related to the one I want.

This year's concerts

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 21:31:02 +0000

I was lucky enough to attend two excellent concerts this year, after several years of scheduling conflicts, lack of information, and just living in the middle of nowhere.

U2's Vertigo tour played Madison Square Garden in October, which coincided with a conference I attended. I probably paid too much for a ticket on eBay, but it turned out to be well worth it. With few exceptions the band, music and venue were plain awesome. That particular night, Keane, another excellent band, opened. The tour is still going on, if you can get a ticket without having to sell a kidney, do it!

Last week I went to the Pink Floyd Experience at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville. The Paramount Theater is an old movie theater that has been beautifully restored as a regular theater, including chandeliers, gold leaf and whatever it may have had when it originally opened. The band again was excellent, the experience itself not quite befitting a concert of this kind, with a rather small (and older) audience.

Driving skills (or lack thereof)

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 15:01:25 +0000

From today's The Breeze, James Madison University's student newspaper:

The difference between New Yorkers and Virginians [...] is that for all our diversity, we New Yorkers drive homogenously; in effect, like New Yorkers. While that means that we do drive like jerks, we all drive like jerks and are therefore able to anticipate and compensate for each other, to provide a fairly safe, if high stress, driving environment.
But one cannot compensate for stupidity. The only accurate prediction that can be made in Virginia is that the other drivers probably don't know what they're doing [...] -- Brian Goodman

As a Harrisonburg, Virginia resident who loves to drive in Manhattan, I fully agree. I like driving like a jerk myself, which is no fun in this town.

How science fiction should be

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:48:29 +0000

Serenity, the movie follow-up to the TV series Firefly (cancelled by Fox like so many shows before it had a chance), deserves all the good reviews it's getting. Even if you are not a fan of the show (how come?) the movie is entertaining and can stand on its own. What I liked most is the mix of Star Trek like elements (but without the sterility) and good old Star Wars action (without the cardboard acting, more like The Empire Strikes Back). While some of the TV episodes were a little campy, the movie keeps from being overly happy - there is plenty of humor, but also lots of dying, which makes for a (you guessed it) serene ending. 9/10

Read a banned book

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:28:44 +0000

This week is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, so go ahead and read a banned book!

It's all in your head

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 22:41:50 +0000

I'll admit it, I'm a huge Simpsons fan, although recent seasons have not been that good - including last Sunday's season premiere (Family Guy is so much better it's not even funny).

After seeing the season 6 boxed set, I thought they were kidding - the DVDs come in a cheap plastic version of Homer's head. In the head though is a note that refers a particular kind of nerd to an 800 number to order a regular DVD box - click on the image for a better view.

I have to go now... where's my phone?

There is still some hope

andreas@knab.ws (Andreas Knab) — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 22:04:47 +0000

A judge has ruled against a gag order for librarians that the government tried to silence. I am not a librarian myself, but I work in a library building, and the constant attempts to remove library patrons' privacy and librarians' freedom of speech need to stop.

Prosecutors argue that the gag order blocked the release of the client's identity, not the client's ability to speak about the Patriot Act. They said revealing the client's identity could tip off suspects and jeopardize a federal investigation into terrorism or spying.
[Judge] Hall rejected the argument that the gag order didn't silence the client.

Common sense. We need more of that.