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Oct. 20th, 2017 04:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mommyI'm experimenting with Dreamwidth's image hosting service now that Photobucket has become irrelevant to my fannish needs, and I've hit a stumbling block. I can't figure out how to group, tag, or sort my images. Surely there's an option somewhere that allows users to organize their images? The 500 mb of available storage would quickly become an unwieldy mess otherwise. Even the ability to just drop the images into a relevant folder would do.
Friday's Inbox/Outbox : Indian summer edition
Oct. 20th, 2017 01:14 pmwriterlibrarianWe are experiencing a really nice Indian Summer. It will last until Sunday. Then Fall arrives for real with rain and rain and rain.
The reno are almost done. The counter top (quartz) has been measured and will be installed on Monday afternoon along with the sink. Then the plumbing and back splash will be done when my guys are free. That might be a few weeks.
Hockey is in full swing. Surprise teams are the New Jersey's Devils with their three rookies. Nico Hischier, who scored his first goal last night and added another one. Ottawa's Senators are also doing good despite Captain Erik Karlsson's absence. He is back now but not fully ready. Baby steps on his rebuilt ankle. Toronto's Leafs are performing as expected. Against the Wings, Auston Matthews was fantastic. Again. They even shot out the Caps in Washington.
Nikita Kucherov in Tampa is a scoring machine.
I'm outlining what I want to write for Nanowrimo. I might not write much but I setting up a goal of 5000 words.
Outbox
Sherry Thomas' A Study in Scarlet Women. The first in her Lady Sherlock's series. Fabulous remixing of Sherlock Holmes. Totally. Charlotte is point on. So is Livia. Mrs Watson, so good. I liked how Thomas turned things around and a non fan of Holmes will like it too but for the fan there are Easter eggs hidden all through the book. Charlotte "Sherlock" Holmes is fun and logical. Genius but with some empathy, especially for her family. The twists and turns of the introductions of the "known or expected" characters are wonderful. Mrs Hudson, John Watson, Moriarty are there in one form or another.
Inbox
Cinder. Marissa Meyer. Android fairy tale. Looks interesting.
Currently reading
Level up. Cathy Yardley So far it's keeping me interested. Geek girl working in game developing looking to move up as an engineer.
Ces livres qui nous font du bien. Christilla Pellé-Douël. An essay on how reading heals. It's an inspiring idea.
This week's hockey highlights
The reno are almost done. The counter top (quartz) has been measured and will be installed on Monday afternoon along with the sink. Then the plumbing and back splash will be done when my guys are free. That might be a few weeks.
Hockey is in full swing. Surprise teams are the New Jersey's Devils with their three rookies. Nico Hischier, who scored his first goal last night and added another one. Ottawa's Senators are also doing good despite Captain Erik Karlsson's absence. He is back now but not fully ready. Baby steps on his rebuilt ankle. Toronto's Leafs are performing as expected. Against the Wings, Auston Matthews was fantastic. Again. They even shot out the Caps in Washington.
Nikita Kucherov in Tampa is a scoring machine.
I'm outlining what I want to write for Nanowrimo. I might not write much but I setting up a goal of 5000 words.
Outbox
Sherry Thomas' A Study in Scarlet Women. The first in her Lady Sherlock's series. Fabulous remixing of Sherlock Holmes. Totally. Charlotte is point on. So is Livia. Mrs Watson, so good. I liked how Thomas turned things around and a non fan of Holmes will like it too but for the fan there are Easter eggs hidden all through the book. Charlotte "Sherlock" Holmes is fun and logical. Genius but with some empathy, especially for her family. The twists and turns of the introductions of the "known or expected" characters are wonderful. Mrs Hudson, John Watson, Moriarty are there in one form or another.
Inbox
Cinder. Marissa Meyer. Android fairy tale. Looks interesting.
Currently reading
Level up. Cathy Yardley So far it's keeping me interested. Geek girl working in game developing looking to move up as an engineer.
Ces livres qui nous font du bien. Christilla Pellé-Douël. An essay on how reading heals. It's an inspiring idea.
This week's hockey highlights
Ein Teufelskreis
Oct. 20th, 2017 07:17 pmshorinaLAN-weite Software-Updates sind doch immer wieder spaßig:
Der Server macht nicht weiter, weil er wartet, bis die Clients alle fertig sind.
Die Clients beschweren sich aber (bevor Sie "fertig" melden können) bereits, dass die Verbindung zum Server nicht wie gewünscht klappt. Kann ja nicht, der ist ja noch nicht fertig - weil die Clients nicht fertig sind auf die er wartet.
Wer programmiert eigentlich so einen Blödsinn?!
Immerhin kenne ich das inzwischen und gerate nicht mehr in Panik ob der vermeintlichen Fehler. Aber das ändert nichts an der Tatsache, dass diese Update-Routine nicht durchdacht ist.
Egal - Updates sind fertig und ich habe Wochenende!
Der Server macht nicht weiter, weil er wartet, bis die Clients alle fertig sind.
Die Clients beschweren sich aber (bevor Sie "fertig" melden können) bereits, dass die Verbindung zum Server nicht wie gewünscht klappt. Kann ja nicht, der ist ja noch nicht fertig - weil die Clients nicht fertig sind auf die er wartet.
Wer programmiert eigentlich so einen Blödsinn?!
Immerhin kenne ich das inzwischen und gerate nicht mehr in Panik ob der vermeintlichen Fehler. Aber das ändert nichts an der Tatsache, dass diese Update-Routine nicht durchdacht ist.
Egal - Updates sind fertig und ich habe Wochenende!
google has interesting (and incorrect) ideas of what I need to see in a calendar
Oct. 20th, 2017 12:11 pmlannamichaels1) make the days REALLY REALLY BIG because of course I need to know the calendar day. But not month...
1a) remove the month from the day heading, because of course I don't need to know what month a day is in (it does this even on the "month changes during the week" weeks, going from 31 (for October) to 1 (for November), whyyyyy)
2) make the time of day REALLY REALLY SMALL because of course I don't need to know what times things are
3) decide to get REALLY REALLY CONFUSED about how to handle dual calendar systems, even though it had no issue with that before
note: the "all day events" section is tall and mostly empty in the Old Google Calendar one because further on in the week, I have a lot of stacked all day things; that's my RL calendar. The new version is the fandom calendar, which has much fewer things cluttering it up
Old google calendar:
New google calendar:
1a) remove the month from the day heading, because of course I don't need to know what month a day is in (it does this even on the "month changes during the week" weeks, going from 31 (for October) to 1 (for November), whyyyyy)
2) make the time of day REALLY REALLY SMALL because of course I don't need to know what times things are
3) decide to get REALLY REALLY CONFUSED about how to handle dual calendar systems, even though it had no issue with that before
note: the "all day events" section is tall and mostly empty in the Old Google Calendar one because further on in the week, I have a lot of stacked all day things; that's my RL calendar. The new version is the fandom calendar, which has much fewer things cluttering it up
Old google calendar:
New google calendar:
I think I am creeped out by dead bat art now.
Oct. 20th, 2017 09:07 amhavocthecatThousands of Bats Slaughtered Annually in Asia End up on Ebay and Etsy for Artsy Americans
Oh, of course they're not "ethically sourced," because why would they be when profit is involved?
(You see skeletal art at local craft shows too.)
(I really wasn't creeped out by dead thing art before.)
(Not that I don't understand "killing lots of shit for profit," but also PASSENGER PIGEONS, enough said there.)
(Damn it.)
Oh, of course they're not "ethically sourced," because why would they be when profit is involved?
(You see skeletal art at local craft shows too.)
(I really wasn't creeped out by dead thing art before.)
(Not that I don't understand "killing lots of shit for profit," but also PASSENGER PIGEONS, enough said there.)
(Damn it.)
Friday Favorites, 10/20/17
Oct. 20th, 2017 08:07 amsputnikheartsWelcome to Friday Favorites! I've decided to start a weekly series where I highlight a short story*—could be past or present—that I love.
I'm starting off with The Weight of Memories by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu. ~2,800 words, science fiction. While sometimes I give content warnings, I'm choosing not to on this one. (Okay, I'm giving one: I personally found the science to be implausible, but that doesn't bother me in stories so long as the narrative is internally consistent and doesn't bill itself as hard science.)
This is a story about a violent conflict between memories and experiences--the sames memories experienced very differently, with very different results. If we are the sums of our experiences, then is it possible to add up the same things and arrive at two different sums? Yes, says this story, depending on how the addition is done.
As a very visual reader I also loved how spare the story is, and how stark, with almost all the violent bursts of color coming from the memories being relived.
I was also very deeply touched by this story as a Chinese person. I don't talk about it a lot, but that is my heritage. A lot of awful events (check Wikipedia, I don't have it in me to discuss) went on over the last two generations, which my family, especially my parents, somehow survived. I grew up never asking about my family's past because the answer was invariably Yet Another Awful Story. And I feel sometimes—and my parents too—that China is changing so fast that one generation doesn't understand another, and this story touches on that connection/disconnect as well. I'm shivering as I type those words. Read the story to find out why.
You may look over the above and say "gosh, Kara, that's a really dark recommendation." Fair enough. A friend once summed up my authorial obsessions as "memory, death, tragic love." What is there to say other than ... may as well lean in. If you're on my wavelength, this may resonate painfully but wonderfully for days, as it did and still does for me.
* Okay so in reality I reserve the right to recommend whatever piece of writing I feel like, but for now at least, I want to focus on short stories!
I'm starting off with The Weight of Memories by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu. ~2,800 words, science fiction. While sometimes I give content warnings, I'm choosing not to on this one. (Okay, I'm giving one: I personally found the science to be implausible, but that doesn't bother me in stories so long as the narrative is internally consistent and doesn't bill itself as hard science.)
This is a story about a violent conflict between memories and experiences--the sames memories experienced very differently, with very different results. If we are the sums of our experiences, then is it possible to add up the same things and arrive at two different sums? Yes, says this story, depending on how the addition is done.
As a very visual reader I also loved how spare the story is, and how stark, with almost all the violent bursts of color coming from the memories being relived.
I was also very deeply touched by this story as a Chinese person. I don't talk about it a lot, but that is my heritage. A lot of awful events (check Wikipedia, I don't have it in me to discuss) went on over the last two generations, which my family, especially my parents, somehow survived. I grew up never asking about my family's past because the answer was invariably Yet Another Awful Story. And I feel sometimes—and my parents too—that China is changing so fast that one generation doesn't understand another, and this story touches on that connection/disconnect as well. I'm shivering as I type those words. Read the story to find out why.
You may look over the above and say "gosh, Kara, that's a really dark recommendation." Fair enough. A friend once summed up my authorial obsessions as "memory, death, tragic love." What is there to say other than ... may as well lean in. If you're on my wavelength, this may resonate painfully but wonderfully for days, as it did and still does for me.
* Okay so in reality I reserve the right to recommend whatever piece of writing I feel like, but for now at least, I want to focus on short stories!
I still won't tank in dungeons
Oct. 20th, 2017 01:58 amdragovianknightBut the Headless Horseman? Oh, yes, I will take those instantly-popping queues tanks get, thank you VERY much.
20 minutes for Team Hunter (aka DPSx2) to get in to kill the Horseman. Instant for Team Monk (aka tank+healer) and Team Baby Monk (aka level 107 tank and 105 healer).
And then I keybound my insta-cast flying mount and took my max level tank out to Undercity, prepared to die for the honor of the Alliance as I doused the Horde wickerman while PVP flagged...and there was no one there. I can't remember another Hallow's End where the Horde weren't lying in wait for people who came to douse the wickerman. Most years, it's been a matter of creeping around as a ghost trying to find a spot where I wouldn't be noticed until dousing fluid was thrown and then corpse running my way out, but this year...nothing.
Guess everyone is on Argus.
20 minutes for Team Hunter (aka DPSx2) to get in to kill the Horseman. Instant for Team Monk (aka tank+healer) and Team Baby Monk (aka level 107 tank and 105 healer).
And then I keybound my insta-cast flying mount and took my max level tank out to Undercity, prepared to die for the honor of the Alliance as I doused the Horde wickerman while PVP flagged...and there was no one there. I can't remember another Hallow's End where the Horde weren't lying in wait for people who came to douse the wickerman. Most years, it's been a matter of creeping around as a ghost trying to find a spot where I wouldn't be noticed until dousing fluid was thrown and then corpse running my way out, but this year...nothing.
Guess everyone is on Argus.
(no subject)
Oct. 19th, 2017 09:22 pmsholioThe Stranger Things phone game is too addictive for my own good. Send help.
... Well, it's semi-addictive. I tend to play in bursts of 30 minutes or so because the gameplay is slightly repetitive and I get tired of it quickly, but no more so than, say, the Lego games - I just get bored with punching things to collect stuff. I played for a couple hours today because after a day or two of beating my head against one of the puzzles, I managed to figure out the solution without having to look up any cheats, and this got me into a whole new dungeon and I didn't want to stop.
It's an adorable game, though. It's got retro 80s-style graphics and puzzles that are just hard enough to be challenging without being flat-out impossible. I've had to look up a cheat to get through one level so far, and I also wish I'd figured out in the beginning that it's very useful to do a bunch of the side quests before you try to fight through too many of the dungeons because you level up on health and carry slots, so it makes the dungeons slightly easier and less frustrating when you aren't dying all the time.
I don't play very many games and I'm having a blast with this one, so take that for whatever it's worth.
... Well, it's semi-addictive. I tend to play in bursts of 30 minutes or so because the gameplay is slightly repetitive and I get tired of it quickly, but no more so than, say, the Lego games - I just get bored with punching things to collect stuff. I played for a couple hours today because after a day or two of beating my head against one of the puzzles, I managed to figure out the solution without having to look up any cheats, and this got me into a whole new dungeon and I didn't want to stop.
It's an adorable game, though. It's got retro 80s-style graphics and puzzles that are just hard enough to be challenging without being flat-out impossible. I've had to look up a cheat to get through one level so far, and I also wish I'd figured out in the beginning that it's very useful to do a bunch of the side quests before you try to fight through too many of the dungeons because you level up on health and carry slots, so it makes the dungeons slightly easier and less frustrating when you aren't dying all the time.
I don't play very many games and I'm having a blast with this one, so take that for whatever it's worth.
finally, a word that describes me and my life
Oct. 20th, 2017 12:19 amtwistedchickFrom TED: Multipotentialities.
I wish someone had sorted this out about 40+ years ago... but at least it's out there now.
I wish someone had sorted this out about 40+ years ago... but at least it's out there now.
Dust
Oct. 19th, 2017 08:41 pmpklemicaThe first book in Philip Pullman's new trilogy following up on His Dark Materials came out today, and I'm right back in middle school, glowing with its magic. These books were my childhood. These books were my life. And this one is So Good.
Also, this interview with the author is everything I ever wanted in a role model. Perhaps a bit circular, given how strong an effect his works had on my development. But I'm charmed to learn about him finally, all these years later.
I spent the first five minutes of my first class today, just squeeing about this work ♥
Also, this interview with the author is everything I ever wanted in a role model. Perhaps a bit circular, given how strong an effect his works had on my development. But I'm charmed to learn about him finally, all these years later.
I spent the first five minutes of my first class today, just squeeing about this work ♥
Ain't no walls you can keep my heart in
Oct. 19th, 2017 04:53 pmpoisonyouloveAs the cold approaches, I decided that I wanted a hat that would go with the rainbow scarf that I favor*, but would be a little less over-the-top than that sequined thing I made last spring. Heh. I also wanted to try two-color brioche, so . . .
First, I really wanted something with a blue butterfly (but again, less over-the-top) so I was looking for a stitch that would suggest flowers, without being too lumpy or whatever. This stitch is called Dandelion. Doesn't really look like flowers, but no stitch really does! I liked it, it worked for me. Glued an applique on, good to go!
Then, I had a vision for the two-color brioche, to have the rainbow fade its way up the hat, being in the background of the charcoal grey. I used this pattern as the basis. I tried to measure to figure out how many rows of each color to make it fit me, but I overshot a bit, it's a little too big, both around and long. But I have a weird shaped head, it's narrow. I might go back and add a ribbed band to cinch the bottom in a bit. I really love the stripy look of the stitch, it's kind of a slow process, though.
* It may not explicitly be a pride flag, but it's the only scarf I've worn since the monsters were inaugurated last January. It just feels right.
First, I really wanted something with a blue butterfly (but again, less over-the-top) so I was looking for a stitch that would suggest flowers, without being too lumpy or whatever. This stitch is called Dandelion. Doesn't really look like flowers, but no stitch really does! I liked it, it worked for me. Glued an applique on, good to go!
Then, I had a vision for the two-color brioche, to have the rainbow fade its way up the hat, being in the background of the charcoal grey. I used this pattern as the basis. I tried to measure to figure out how many rows of each color to make it fit me, but I overshot a bit, it's a little too big, both around and long. But I have a weird shaped head, it's narrow. I might go back and add a ribbed band to cinch the bottom in a bit. I really love the stripy look of the stitch, it's kind of a slow process, though.
* It may not explicitly be a pride flag, but it's the only scarf I've worn since the monsters were inaugurated last January. It just feels right.
Wucher!
Oct. 19th, 2017 09:30 pmshorinaIn unserem Marktkauf und dem angeschlossenen Getränkeshop bekomme ich mein geliebtes Deit nur in 0,75l Flaschen, im Sixpack für 5,94€.
Heute war ich aus anderem Grund bei REWE im Getränkeshop und was sah ich da? Einen 12x1l Kasten Deit. Für 8,99€.
Ich bin fast hinten runter gefallen! Ja, dafür fahre ich auch zum REWE, wo ich sonst kaum mal bin. Aber was ein Preisunterschied!
Heute war ich aus anderem Grund bei REWE im Getränkeshop und was sah ich da? Einen 12x1l Kasten Deit. Für 8,99€.
Ich bin fast hinten runter gefallen! Ja, dafür fahre ich auch zum REWE, wo ich sonst kaum mal bin. Aber was ein Preisunterschied!