tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79013876989082518362023-08-02T12:06:35.179+02:00A Light in the DarknessNews, pointers and musings from UppsalaSebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-52173870470274964042012-03-13T22:51:00.000+01:002015-01-04T16:03:26.703+01:00Note to self: Midnight Commander mouse support when running in screenUsability discovery of the day:<br />
When running Midnight Commander within a GNU Screen terminal, the mouse cannot
by default
be used to manipulate the cursor. However, starting mc with the command-line switch <b>-x</b> enables the mouse support once more. Very handy!<br />
(See also: <a href="https://www.midnight-commander.org/wiki/doc/faq#a3Mouse">mc Wiki</a>.)Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-42506731541607155622011-06-15T10:04:00.001+02:002011-06-15T10:04:41.401+02:00Windows 7 Update kept wanting me to restart my computer...Everytime I tried to check for Windows updates, I was only shown "Restart your computer to install important updates", though I already had restarted the computer several times.<br />
<br />
At last I found the culprit: In the registry under [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update], there was a key tellingly named "RestartRequired" (and otherwise empty). As soon as I had deleted that and checked updates again, I was shown a long list of updates.<br />
<br />
Simple as that. As to why it hadn't been deleted: search me.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-14667777022696411342010-10-24T10:47:00.000+02:002010-10-24T10:47:09.787+02:00A task switcher I use all dayI love the program <a href="http://www.ntwind.com/software/vistaswitcher.html"><strong>VistaSwitcher</strong></a> and can only recommend it warmly (it runs on Windows XP or higher (despite its name) and is freeware).<br />
With ALT+TAB you get a list with previews of all windows (instead of the uninformative block of icons that Windows otherwise displays). Additionally, ALT+(whichever key sits above TAB on your keyboard layout) lets you switch between all windows <strong>of the current application</strong>.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-44638443457254079992010-01-24T13:42:00.001+01:002010-01-24T13:42:04.604+01:00Fine cornett virtuoso performance<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/yTxUcOVWShU' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/yTxUcOVWShU'/></object></p><p>Bruce Dickey: Ancor che col Partire (Angelus ad Pastores)</p></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-82997083142065596882009-10-20T10:58:00.006+02:002010-07-20T22:15:53.755+02:00On occasion of today's weather(thick, impenetrable white fog even now at 11 o'clock)<br />
<blockquote>Im Nebel<br />
<br />
Seltsam, im Nebel zu wandern!<br />
Einsam ist jeder Busch und Stein,<br />
Kein Baum sieht den andern,<br />
Jeder ist allein.<br />
<br />
Voll Freunden war mir die Welt,<br />
Als noch mein Leben licht war;<br />
Nun, da der Nebel fällt,<br />
Ist keiner mehr sichtbar.<br />
<br />
Wahrlich, keiner ist weise,<br />
Der nicht das Dunkel kennt,<br />
Das unentrinnbar und leise<br />
Von allen ihn trennt.<br />
<br />
Seltsam, im Nebel zu wandern!<br />
Leben ist Einsamsein.<br />
Kein Mensch kennt den andern,<br />
Jeder ist allein.<br />
<br />
Hermann Hesse</blockquote><br />
We worked extensively on this poem in our German lessons in 9th or 10th grade, interpreting and translating to a number of secondary languages we were capable of, and making a little public exhibit of our results at the end. We were the class with Spanish as the 3rd foreign language, so we had English, French, Spanish and Latin available by default (not sure if anyone did it in Latin though), and then some of us knew additional languages: One girl was of Brazilian parentage, another one of Serbian, there may have been one or two more in the mix. I did a Danish translation!<br />
<br />
So although I rarely feel as lonely as Hesse describes, I do have a special bond to this poem, among a few others.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-18034878303109255202009-10-14T09:00:00.000+02:002009-10-14T09:01:08.277+02:00First Snow(e)So now we've got our first snow for the season (there was already some snow or snow-rain yesterday, but today it is remaining on the ground). That's a full week earlier than in my first winter here, 2003, and I think the earliest I have experienced yet.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-47174266183058435082009-09-06T22:03:00.000+02:002009-09-06T22:04:50.937+02:00Thought-inspiring TED talksFour inspiring talks about quite different topics:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success.html">Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success</a> </li><br /><li><a style="font-family: Arial;" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/josh_silver_demos_adjustable_liquid_filled_eyeglasses.html">Josh Silver demonstrates adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses </a> </li><br /><li><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/geoff_mulgan_post_crash_investing_in_a_better_world_1.html">Geoff Mulgan: Post-crash, investing in a better world</a> </li><br /><li><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html">Elizabeth Gilbert on genius, nurturing creativity</a> </li><br /></ul>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-79247250210481366982009-07-29T08:19:00.002+02:002009-08-15T12:20:59.462+02:00dict.cc Becomes MultilingualMy favourite German-English online dictionary, <a href="http://dict.cc/">dict.cc</a>, is becoming more than that — they are matching up German and English with Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and a lot of other languages (you can actually add your own!). I think that is great news, since I had earlier searched in vain for any online German-Swedish, German-Danish or even English-Danish dictionary, and the <a href="http://lexin.nada.kth.se/swe-eng.html">English-Swedish dictionary</a> that I regularly use is a bit userunfriendly at times (anther one, <a href="http://tyda.se/">tyda.se</a>, may be a bit more comfy).<br /><br />Here is the English part of the mail that was sent to me to inform me about the news and inviting me to contribute to the Danish vocabulary (I guess I'll do some there but be more active on the Swedish part).<br /><div style="border-left: 2px solid blue; padding: 5px; margin-left: 40px; background-color: rgb(230, 230, 230);">Hello!<br /><br />I'm Paul Hemetsberger, the maintainer of dict.cc. I'm contacting you because your user profile with dict.cc suggests Danish language skills.<br /><br />Currently dict.cc is in the process of expanding from a German-English to a multilingual dictionary and I'd like to ask you for your help. <br />Would you be willing to contribute a little bit of your time to help building up a Danish-German / Danish-Englisch online dictionary?<br /><br />To give it a try, please see some of the proposed entries here:<br />http://deda.contribute.dict.cc/ for Danish-German translations<br />http://enda.contribute.dict.cc/ for Danish-English translations<br />Click "review" to support proposals or suggest changes.<br /><br />These are the basic guidelines for adding and changing terms:<br />http://deda.contribute.dict.cc/guidelines/<br /><br />Please use the Danish-German forum to clarify problems not specified there:<br />http://deda.forum.dict.cc/<br />The findings of these discussions will be added to the guidelines over time.<br /><br />You can get in touch with other participating users here:<br />http://deda.users.dict.cc/hall-of-fame/ (Danish-German)<br />http://enda.users.dict.cc/hall-of-fame/ (Danish-English)<br /><br />To build up basic vocabulary for both Danish-German and Danish-English quickly, you can use the buildup tool:<br />http://contribute.dict.cc/?action=buildup&targetlang=DA<br />Just enter the Danish translation(s) that match both the German and the English term displayed.<br /><br />Your help would be greatly appreciated! Please give it a try!<br />Thank you very much in advance!<br /><br />Best wishes and greetings from Vienna,<br />Paul Hemetsberger<br /><br />PS: Feel free to forward this message to friends. The more participants the better!<br /><br />-- <br />Ing. Paul Christian Hemetsberger | <a href='www.hemetsberger.com'>www.hemetsberger.com</a><br />Erdbergstr. 10/55, 1030 Wien, Austria | +43-699-19437670<br />Visit www.dict.cc - the online German-English dictionary!<br /></div>Let me extend the inviation to you, dear reader, for any language that fits you!Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-6191905373077395282009-06-23T21:55:00.001+02:002009-06-23T21:55:27.226+02:00Wowed by Obama (again)I watched US President Obama's press conference live this evening and was once again impressed by his sensible, measured words, as well as by how he was keeping command of the room of journalists, who at times would pose rather snarky questions.<br />Here is the <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31509043#31509043">video</a> of the whole thing, and here a <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/live-blogging-the-obama-news-conference-2/">reasonable </a><a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/live-blogging-the-obama-news-conference-2/">summary</a> (in refreshing contrast to the typical repuglican raving madness that I couldn't entirely avoid while searching for a replay for you).<br />Given enough time, I could go on and on... let me just say this:<br /><ul><li>I agreed with a great lot of his points (including, one of the main topics, his treading very carefully concerning Iran and only applying fierceness when and where appropriate);</li><li>I cannot stop being so happy to see an intelligent, thinking, witty and balanced person in this powerful position, and wish we could have more of his kind in politics internationally.</li></ul> <div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-80001896718652993842009-06-13T08:27:00.005+02:002009-06-13T16:34:38.573+02:00The Future of Software Testing [geek alert]Last night I saw a good <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pug_5Tl2UxQ">"Google Tech Talk" presentation</a> by software-testing professor James Whittaker (at the time of the talk working for MS, now at Google) on "The Future of Testing".<br />Further reading: <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/james_whittaker/">Whittaker's blog</a> and a <a href="http://www.utest.com/webinars">series of webinars on uTest.com</a>.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-67780104801187004702009-05-30T18:51:00.007+02:002015-01-04T16:05:09.208+01:00PHP, Code Igniter, PEAR, command line and daemons [geek alert]Oh hear ye mortals who pass through this barren land . . . I'm still alive and kicking, and after half a year ready to fill up the blog with a little bit more content.<br />
In this post and probably the next few I will give the computer geek inside myself free reign and delve into programming lore — which may seem utterly boring and/or incomprehensible to you if you aren't very technically minded. If the description applies to you, take my apologies, just be warned and steer clear of posts with "[geek alert]" in the title. Everything has got its time and place: rest assured that I'll write about other stuff as well.<br />
So, with that out of the way — over to you, geek!<br />
<br />
I haven't got any one message or motivation for this post, but rather thought I'd just share some of the fun stuff I have learned lately concerning programming. To cite Tom Lehrer: This may prove useful, some day, to some of you, under a somewhat bizarre set of circumstances . . .<br />
<br />
Let me start by mentioning, as a background, several programming languages that I have come to appreciate through the years and use extensively today:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pascal</span>, which I first learned in highschool, is still my <span style="font-style: italic;">compiled</span> language of choice (nowadays in the form of the excellent <a href="http://www.freepascal.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">FreePascal</a> 2, which includes powerful object-oriented programming, GUI capabilities and basically everything one would expect of a modern programming language).</li>
<li>Scripts of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">bash</span> shell with related utilities are a great tool for all kinds of computer "chores" like finding, batch altering and sorting files. I don't use it for major projects, but it's part of Linux' attraction on me and no Windows computer I regularly work on stays without an installation of bash and its ilk from the <a href="http://cygwin.com/">Cygwin</a> suite for long.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mathworks.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matlab</span></a> is what I nowadays do 99.9% of my scientific computer work on — calculations, data processing, statistics and plotting. I'll probably spend another post on it one of these days.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.php.net/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">PHP</span></a> — the main topic of this post.</li>
</ul>
I started learning PHP through participation in a nice web-based bibliography project, <a href="http://www.aigaion.nl/">Aigaion</a>. As we were discussing the transition to an all-new version 2 about two years ago, we got to know the concept of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-view-controller">MVC</a> (model-view-controller) frameworks and after a while decided for the simple-yet-powerful framework <a href="http://codeigniter.com/">CodeIgniter</a> (aka CI).<br />
We liked that CI implemented the MVC concept quite flexibly, not forcing a strict "architecture" upon the application programmer as some others did. The only thing one positively needs in CI is a "Controller" class for each category or "sub-application" (say, "blog") with an entry function for each action (e.g. "write", "index", "delete"). That is the core of your program. Beyond that, it is your free choice whether to use a "Model" class for talking to the database (provided that your app uses one) or if you call the DB from your controller. Likewise, while I think that a "View" component (typically an HTML page with just some embedded PHP for including the dynamically generated data) is a very good idea, you are by no means forced to use one.<br />
Then, CI includes lots of libraries and "Helper" components to make it easy to program many common functions, among others components for communicating with databases — with an optional "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_record_pattern">Active Record</a>" interface —, for internationalisation, also one working transparently in the background and "sanitising" input from the web so that the application is reasonably immune to common security risks like SQL-code injection.<br />
As to databases, some people swear by Active Record patterns, some hate it and want to write their own SQL code... I for one appreciate it because I like to keep code in one language rather free of strings in secondary languages and also for instance because the commands for inserting data simply take <a href="http://se2.php.net/manual/en/language.types.array.php">associative arrays</a> of data, without me having to loop through the fields and build a lengthy query string myself. Yeah, talk about comfort!<br />
<br />
As cool as CI is, I started wondering a few weeks ago if it would be feasible to take it from its use for web applications, and use it in non-web programs/scripts (so that I for instance could continue using the database library). It is clearly written for the former, as it uses the web address to determine what command to run (e.g. http://your.site.com/blog/index calls function index in the Blog controller). But after some googling, I found <a href="http://www.asim.pk/2009/05/14/creating-and-installing-crontabs-using-codeigniter/">a very nice solution</a>: The web-address part used by CI is usually found in $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] — so as long as you put something of the form "controller/method" into that variable, you're good! Command-line parameters are found in PHP's $argv array (with $argv[0] being the name of the script); you can for instance assign the content of $argv[1] to the REQUEST_URI field, or generate some valid string inside your PHP file depending on different command-line parameters.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to my next finding: parsing of the command line. From earlier bash days, I knew "getopts" to work down optional-parameter lists. It works, though not extremely flexibly, and PHP's equivalent "getopt" is even more limited . . . Then I started looking at <a href="http://pear.php.net/">PEAR</a>, the PHP Extension and Application Repository, and there found the <a href="http://pear.php.net/package/Console_CommandLine">Console_CommandLine</a> package, which allows you to define really powerful sets of command-line options and even automatically builds a help page listing all your options and parameters!<br />
<br />
A little while later I wanted to execute an operation (creating a plot of the state of a running process in the lab) about every 30th second, i.e. more often than cron allows. The plotting is currently done upon user request within a PHP/CI web app (using <a href="http://ploticus.sourceforge.net/doc/welcome.html">Ploticus</a>), but takes so much time that I'd like the graphs to be prepared in the background. With cron out of the question, a continually looping script is the natural alternative coming to mind — but I wouldn't want to start it by hand and have it rely on some terminal staying open all the time. Is it possible to run a PHP script as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28computer_software%29">daemon</a> (roughly "service" in Windows parlance)? It turns out, yes, also that is <a href="http://bipinb.com/making-php-program-as-daemon.htm">quite</a> <a href="http://se.php.net/pcntl_fork">possible</a>!<br />
<br />
Last but not least, I wanted to be able to have mathematical transformations saved as strings e.g. in a config file or database and have PHP interpret the formulas on the fly. For kicks I chose not to rely on PHP's eval() but to write my own parser. Parsing <span style="font-weight: bold;">infix</span> notation (such as 3+4*2) and interpreting it right away quickly proves to be fiendishly difficult, what with parantheses, the different operator precedences (* and / overrule + and -, etc) and operator associativity (+,-,*,/ are <span style="font-weight: bold;">left</span> associative, i.e. 2*3*4 = (2*3)*4, while the exponent ^ is <span style="font-weight: bold;">right</span> associative: 2^3^4 = 2^(3^4)). You and the program have to keep track of a lot . . . Then I remembered having heard about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation">RPN (Reverse Polish Notation)</a> in university, a <span style="font-weight: bold;">postfix</span> notation (3+4*2 would translate to 3 4 + 2 *, for instance) which circumvents the complexity of infix interpretation and makes do without any brackets at all, and thankfully the wise Wikipedia yielded a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunting_yard_algorithm">very good description</a> of an algorithm for converting infix into postfix, by none less than Edsger Dijkstra, an influential early computer scientist (whose algorithm for calculating the shortest way I also had implemented once upon a time during my studies). Implementing that Shunting-yard algorithm and the RPN calculator was fun and went surprisingly smoothly, so in the end I added several (backward-compatible) bonus functionalities to <a href="http://www.sebastian.schleussner.name/code/php/number.phps">my code</a>:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Variable data</span>: Give the RPN an associative array with numeric data as a second argument and you can digest that data within the calculation.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Unary minus</span>: All standard RPN operators are binary, so to get -1, as far as I know, you would have to write 0 1 -. So in my RPN calculator I added the unary minus (negation) operator "~", and the infix-to-RPN converter detects lonely minuses in the beginning of the expression, after opening parentheses as well as in function arguments (like in "min(0, -1)").</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Variable number of function arguments:</span> The original conversion algorithm already recognised functions like "sin(a)" or "min(2,3)", but there was no way of telling the RPN calculator how many to expect. For standard functions like sin, cos, sqrt etc. that would be a known 1 and no problem, but I'd like to allow syntax like "min(a,b,c)" or "min(a)" (with an array). The code supports that now; in RPN, that looks like, for instance, "a b c {3} min".</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Array calculations</span>: Since I work a lot with numbers in arrays (measurement data), I had already developed <a href="http://www.sebastian.schleussner.name/code/php/array.phps">functions for various operations on arrays</a>, and the mathematical ones I now have the parsers understand, in Matlab's notation with a dot prepended to the respective operator: .+ .- .* ./ and .^ (power, ^ for non-array power is also understood).</li>
</ul>
Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-5867846285356058002009-05-30T09:09:00.001+02:002009-05-30T09:09:20.705+02:00Doppelseitige Solarmodule [DE]Auf der aktuellen Messe Intersolar in München stellt SANYO <a href="http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/forschak/973818/">doppelseitige Silizium-Solarmodule</a> vor.<br />Der Wirkungsgrad bei Bestrahlung von hinten beträgt offenbar ca 2/3 dessen, der bei "normaler" Bestrahlung gilt.<br />Die Idee ist, die Module gewinkelt auf einer hell gestrichenen Fläche, z.B. einem Flachdach aufzustellen, so dass Umgebungslicht auf die Rückseite gestreut wird, und SANYO sagt, dass die Ausbeute dann 20-30% höher liege als bei konventionellen einseitgen Modulen. Ab Oktober 09 soll es die Module in Europa zu kaufen geben.<br />Klingt nach einem interessanten Ansatz. Ich erinnere mich, dass jemand auf der EUPVSEC-Konferenz 2005 doppelseitige CIGS-Solarzellen vorstellte. Das klang damals ein wenig lächerlich, weil er m.E. eine Milchmädchenrechnung machte: "14% von vorne plus 6% von hinten: Schwupps, schon haben wir eine 20%-CIGS-Solarzelle!" Aber so argumentiert wie von SANYO ergibt das mehr Sinn.PSebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-30784910811191039222008-12-13T22:51:00.001+01:002009-06-17T18:38:13.642+02:00The Now HabitAs you may know at least since my <a href="http://sesc79.blogspot.com/2008/09/procrastinator-creed.html">September post</a>, I am often a procrastinator nowadays, and not too happy about it. The cause of that has largely been a mystery for me. I would take umbrage at anyone suggesting it was because of plain laziness — after all, as (I think) most human beings, I like being productive and useful and making a difference, and there are areas in my life (music for instance) where I do not procrastinate at all as a rule.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Enter</span> <a href="http://www.neilfiore.com/thenowhabit.shtml">The Now Habit</a> by Neil Fiore, which I came across by way of an <a href="http://www.emusic.com/">MP3-music and audiobook web shop</a> the other day. According to its subtitle, it's "A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play" and it seems to be just the thing I need. There is a summary with a very good, comprehensive mindmap on <a href="http://litemind.com/the-now-habit/">Litemind</a>, and another good review on <a href="http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2008/06/16/review-the-now-habit/">Life Optimizer</a>.<br /><br />I've been listening to about half the book so far and I'm about to read the book, which I've also bought. Apart from some parts being a bit long-winded (in the verbatim interpretation of "tell them what you're gonna tell them, tell them, tell them what you've told them" frequently encountered in American articles and books), I appreciate it very much. Thanks to Fiore's description, I've found myself able to recognise much of my procrastination as a response to anxiousness caused by my perfectionism. I've been aware of the latter for a very long time, but had not really drawn this very important connection between the two phenomena yet. Very helpful indeed.<br />I'm starting to profit from the book also on the part of handling the issue. The two key ideas that are most present in my mind for now are these:<br /><ol><li>Stop worrying about the end of the project and how you don't know how to do everything needed on the way — start taking a little, perfectly managable step NOW (and so on).</li><li>Stop talking to yourself in terms of "I <span style="font-weight: bold;">have to</span> do this or that (although I don't want to)", that just fuels inner resentment against the task and causes procrastination of the second type (or the 1st in Fiore's order), which is "as an indirect way of resisting pressure from authorities" (the authority in this case being part of yourself). Consider the task and make a conscious <span style="font-weight: bold;">choice</span>, either wholeheartedly to commit to it — or <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> to tackle it and to bear the consequences. The words of Yoda in Star Wars come to mind: "Try not. Do, or do not — there is no try."</li></ol>Finally, on a related website I found this saying, a wonderful antidote to my perfectionism:<br /><div style="">"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first."</div><div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-90752386794277466992008-10-19T19:52:00.002+02:002009-09-06T22:02:50.938+02:00Good news: Colin Powell endorses Barack ObamaHere is General Colin Powell's thoughtful endorsement of Barack Obama, which includes very pointed criticism of the Republican party and campaign.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b2U63fXBlFo&hl=de&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b2U63fXBlFo&hl=de&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The full NBC Meet The Press program (including more interview with Powell and background talk with political analysts) is available as a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27265729#27265729">video</a> and in <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27266223/">transcript</a>.<br /> <div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-45089076125778980842008-10-09T10:13:00.007+02:002008-10-21T12:36:16.412+02:00Obama spokesperson slams FOX News "journalist"<p>Ah, how I like the sound of a Repuglican smear-attack dog whining.<br />Here, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs gives the Republican TV channel FOX News' journalist Sean Hannity a healthy dose of the Republicans' own medicine: When Hannity tries the latest Right-wing guilt-by-association smear on Gibbs, Gibbs counters by attacking Hannity for giving air time to a well-known anti-Semite a few days earlier, driving Hannity into the defense. See or read for yourself:<br /></p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zgn6rjGbp0c&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zgn6rjGbp0c&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><p>...<br /><p>SEAN HANNITY: Why would you sit on a board -- would you sit on a board with a guy who bombed the Pentagon [William Ayers] and wasn't sorry about it?<br /><p>ROBERT GIBBS: He sat on a charitable board and a board that funded by a conservative Republican and a friend of Ronald Reagan.<br /><p>HANNITY: Was that poor judgment?<br /><p>GIBBS: That was Walter Annenberg.<br /><p>HANNITY: I didn't ask you -- was that poor judgment on Obama's part?<br /><p>GIBBS: I don't think that was poor judgment at all. I think what Barack Obama has done throughout his career is talk about the big issues that are important to him -- </p>HANNITY: All right, you're giving me spin now. I'm asking you --<br /><p>GIBBS: Okay -- let me ask you one question.<br /><p>HANNITY: All right. You ask me a question.<br /><p>GIBBS: Okay. Are you anti-Semitic?<br /><p>HANNITY: Not at all.<br /><p>GIBBS: Okay. On your show on Sunday --<br /><p>HANNITY: Uh-huh --<br /><p>GIBBS: You -- the show that is named after you, right? The show with -- the centerpiece of that show was a guy named Andy Martin -- right?<br /><p>HANNITY: No -- I know you're reading your talking points regarding --<br /><p>GIBBS: No, no --<br /><p>HANNITY: When I interviewed -- hang on one second. Let me answer your question.<br /><p>GIBBS: No, no. I don't have talking points --<br /><p>HANNITY: When I interviewed Malik Shabazz; when I interviewed Al Sharpton --<br /><p>GIBBS: Right.<br /><p>HANNITY: When I interviewed all of these controversial figures -- you see on Fox, we actually interview people of all points of view, whether we agree or disagree.<br /><p>GIBBS: So --<br /><p>HANNITY: I -- the statement you're about to read --<br /><p>GIBBS: Yeah, Andy Martin -- <br /><p>HANNITY: I -- I totally, completely --<br /><p>GIBBS: Called a judge a crooked, slimy Jew, who has a history of lying and theiving -- comments (unintelligible) -- <br /><p>HANNITY: Here's my answer to you --<br /><p>GIBBS: Martin went on to write that he understood better why -- better why the Holocaust took place, given that Jews [sic] survivors are operating as a wolf pack (unintelligible) --<br /><p>HANNITY: Here's my answer to you. I find those comments despicable. But wait a minute --<br /><p>GIBBS: You put him on your show!<br /><p>HANNITY: We put Malik Shabazz on the show --<br /><p>GIBBS: It's the Hannity -- it's the Hannity show!<br /><p>HANNITY: I put Khalid Muhammad on my show. I put --<br /><p>GIBSS: Why am I not to believe that you're anti-Semitic?<br /><p>HANNITY: Let me -- here's the answer --<br /><p>GIBBS: Why am I not to believe that everyone who works for the network is anti-Semitic --<br /><p>HANNITY: Here's the -- here's the --<br /><p>GIBBS: Because Sean Hannity gave a platform to a man who thinks -- who thinks Jews are slimy?<br /><p>HANNITY: Mr. Gibbs -- Mr. Gibbs -- Mr. Gibbs -- I's a journalist who interviews people that I disagree with all of the time, that give their opinion. Fox has all points of view. We're allowing you on the program, and I do not agree with hardly anything that Obama says.<br /><p>GIBBS: (Laughs) Well --<br /><p>HANNITY: So let me answer -- no, no, no --<br /><p>GIBBS: How can you give a platform to virulent anti-Semites --<br /><p>HANNITY: Here's -- I will tell you this --<br /><p>GIBBS: who can't even get a law license in Illinois?<br /><p>HANNITY: That I -- I'll make a deal with you. If Barack Obama admits that what he did by sitting on a board with -- giving speeches with -- having Ayers -- going over to Ayers' house --<br /><p>GIBBS: You'll admit you're anti-Semitic? <br /><p>HANNITY: No, no. I'll admit to you that -- I will tell you that Barack Obama wants to be president. It's poor judgment. It is irresponsible --<br /><p>GIBBS: (Laughs) Well --<br /><p>HANNITY: And it's reckless to -- no, let me finish -- to be friends with a guy that bombed our Pentagon, was at war with our country, whose motto was to kill our children and kill your parents.<br /><p>GIBBS: Well, I think it's deplorable that you had some on TV that's anti-Semitic -- <br /><p>HANNITY: And it's deplorable that your candidate for president has not been honest with the American people.<br /><p>GIBBS: That calls Jews slimy, and understands the Holocaust better because of the way he views -- <br /><p>HANNITY: I'm explaining --<br /><p>COLMES: (unintelligible) We have a short time here --<br /><p>HANNITY: Let me finish first. Let me finish (to Alan Colmes). I'm explaining to you --<br /><p>GIBBS: I can't believe you would give a platform --<br /><p>HANNITY: So you do not want to want me to interview anybody I agree, dis[agree] -- I can only -- I can only interview people you disagree with?<br /><p>GIBBS: You put the whole show around him, Sean! <br /><p>HANNITY: Barack Obama --<br /><p>GIBBS: You had to believe only that you agree with each and everything that Andy Martin says.<br /><p>HANNITY: Listen -- Barack Obama, the president [sic] sat in the pew of Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, a guy who hates America.<br /><p>GIBBS: I think -- I think you're changing the subject -- will you do me a favor?<br /><p>HANNITY: Barack Obama -- Barack Obama is friends with William [sic] Pfleger --<br /><p>GIBBS: Will you do me a favor?<br /><p>HANNITY: I have one last question.<br /><p>(Crosstalk)<br /><p>HANNITY: Did Barack Obama ever sit and meet with Louis Farrakhan? Has he ever met with Louis Farrakhan?<br /><p>GIBBS: I don't -- I don't know the answer to that. <br /><p>HANNITY: Will you give us an answer by tomorrow?<br /><p>GIBBS: Will you get back to me on whether you're anti-Semitic?<br /><p>HANNITY: Ah, I'm not anti-Semitic. I am the biggest supporter of Israel.<br /><p>COLMES: (unintelligible)<br /><p>HANNITY: Benjamin Netanyahu blurbed my book.<br /><p>GIBBS: Let me tell you -- I don't think -- I don't think your Jewish viewers are going to take it very well when you had someone like that on your show.<br /><p>HANNITY: Excuse me. Excuse me. I am the biggest supporter of Israel --<br /><p>GIBBS: I think it's bad that you gave him a platform.<br /><p>HANNITY: And I've got a 30 year history of -- on the record of it.<br /><p>GIBBS: Well, ask them and their friends about what Andy Martin said. You used that guest --<br /><p>HANNITY: And listen -- I am not friends with a guy that bombed the Pentagon. I'm not friends with a guy that bombed the Capitol --<br /><p>GIBBS: Here, you take this (hands Hannity a card) -- take that.<br /><p>COLMES: Well, let me jump in for a second, Robert.<br /><p>HANNITY: Your candidate is friends with him, not me.<br /><p>GIBBS: You're friends with someone who is a virulent anti-Semite. Ask someone -- ask Benjamin Netanyahu about that!<br /><p>HANNITY: Your candidate is friends with a terrorist! <br /><p>GIBBS: That's not true.<br /><p>COLMES: Hey guys --<br /><p>HANNITY: He sits on a board with a terrorist.<br /><p>COLMES: Guys, stop it. First of all, he's not anti-Semitic. <br /><p>HANNITY: Thank you very much.<br /><p>GIBBS: Well, well --<br /><p>COLMES: This game of guilt by association I disagree with, on all fronts. I will defend Sean against anti-Semitism, he's not anti-Semitic. But I also deplore this game of guilt by association.<br /><p>GIBBS: Sure!<br /><p>COLMES: The people who've sat on this board were also republicans; on one of these boards there was the former president of North-Western University; Walter Annenberg was a Reagan ambassador who gave his money --<br /><p>GIBBS: Friend of Ronald Reagan --<br /><p>COLMES: So this game of guilt by association is ridiculous!<br /><p>...Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-57247267634056642582008-09-04T17:47:00.001+02:002008-09-04T17:48:58.288+02:00The Procrastinator's Creed(For a very good friend and fellow procrastinaritis-afflicted one:)<br /><font size="4"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></font><ol><li>I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.</li><li>I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.</li><li>I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.</li><li>I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.</li><li>I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.</li><li>I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.</li><li>I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesmally small, is not exactly zero.</li><li>If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.</li><li>I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.</li><li>I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.</li><li>I obey the law of inverse excuses which demands that the greater the task to be done, the more insignificant the work that must be done prior to beginning the greater task.</li><li>I know that the work cycle is not plan/start/finish, but is wait/plan/plan.</li><li>I will never put off until tomorrow, what I can forget about forever.</li><li>I will become a member of the ancient Order of Two-Headed Turtles (the Procrastinator's Society) if they ever get it organized.</li></ol>Cheers! /Sebastian<div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-2302108047363530972008-06-08T15:44:00.003+02:002008-06-14T15:16:35.552+02:00A Good Pun Is Its Own Reword!Here's a new list for your indulgence!<br /><br />Energizer Bunny arrested -- charged with battery.<br />A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.<br />Practice safe eating -- always use condiments.<br />A Freudian slip: when you say one thing but mean your mother.<br />Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.<br />I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.<br />If electricity comes from electrons does that mean that morality comes from morons?<br />A hangover: the wrath of grapes.<br />Corduroy pillows: are making headlines.<br />A book on voyeurism: a peeping tome?<br />Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.<br />Banning the bra: was a big flop.<br />Sea captains: don't like crew cuts.<br />Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?<br />Successful diet: the triumph of mind over platter.<br />Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.<br />A gossip: someone with a great sense of rumor.<br />Without geometry: life is pointless.<br />When you dream in color: it's a pigment of your imagination.<br />Condoms: should be used on every conceivable occasion.<br />Reading whilst sunbathing makes you: well-red.<br />When two egotists meet: it's an I for an I.<br />Alarms: What an octopus is.<br />Crick: The sound that a Japanese camera makes.<br />Dockyard: A physician's garden.<br />Incongruous: Where bills are passed.<br />Khakis: What you need to start the car in Boston.<br />Oboe: An English tramp.<br />Pasteurize: Too far to see.<br />Propaganda: A gentlemanly goose.<br />Toboggan: Why we go to an auction.<br />and finally,<br />Marriage: the mourning after the knot before.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-44803046224293341102008-04-02T22:17:00.005+02:002008-04-07T14:39:01.253+02:00A bit of levityJust found this again in my fun archive...<br />(The original post including the comments appeared in a newsgroup a couple of years ago.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The year's best [actual] headlines of 2004:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">12 on their way to cruise among dead in plane crash</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Count me out!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2 sisters reunited after 18 years at checkout counter</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[They were definitely in the wrong lane]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[That's what he gets for eating those beans!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[who would have thought!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Complaints about NBA referees growing ugly</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Makeover time!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dealers will hear car talk at noon</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Yes Michael?]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Drunk gets nine months in violin case</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[A harsh sentence!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[they may be on to something!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Enraged cow injures farmer with ax</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[It was him or me, your honour!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Grandmother of eight makes hole in one</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[They don't half start young these days]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hershey bars protest</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[What would you do if you were about to be eaten?]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hospitals are Sued by Seven Foot Doctors</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Boy, are they tall!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[you think?!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Include your children when baking cookies</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Buy a bigger oven though.]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Iraqi head seeks arms</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Torso not found yet]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[not if I wipe thoroughly!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Juvenile Court toTry Shooting Defendant</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[see if that works any better than a fair trial!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kids Make Nutritious Snacks</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Tastes like chicken?]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Killer sentenced to die for second time in 10 years</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Beware of the zombies!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Lack of brains hinders research</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Or any cerebral activity, for that matter.]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Lawmen from mexico barbecue guests</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Pass the mustard please.]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Chainsaw Massacre all over again!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Lung cancer in women mushrooms</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Something with the spores?]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[he probably IS the battery charge!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Man eating piranha mistakenly sold as pet fish</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Give him an aqualung]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Milk drinkers are turning to powder</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Ashes to ashes]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Miners Refuse to Work after Death</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[good-for-nothin' lazy so-and-sos!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[weren't they fat enough?!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Old school pillars are replaced by alumni</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[either that, or face unemployment]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[what a guy!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[?!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Prostitutes appeal to pope</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[but not the other way around.]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Quarter of a million chinese live on water</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[And bread?]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Queen Mary having bottom scraped</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Count me out]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[you mean there's something stronger than duct tape?!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Safety experts say school bus passengers should be belted</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[How cruel]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[no, really?]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Squad helps dog bite victim</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Add insult to injury]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stolen painting found by tree</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[The Whomping Willow]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Two soviet ships collide, one dies</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[The other one lived to tell the tale]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">War Dims Hope for Peace</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[I can see where it might have that effect!]</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And the winner is....</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Can you believe it?)</span>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-49178771955493105752008-04-02T07:58:00.008+02:002008-04-02T19:31:28.559+02:00SR P1-morgon: Computers the new eco-scoundrel? [SE/EN]"<a href="http://www.sr.se/webbradio/?Type=db&Id=1084979">Är datorn den nya miljöboven?</a> (webbradio)<br /><br />IT-användningen i världen påverkar klimatet nästan lika mycket som flygindustrin, det visar en ny rapport som Håkan Nordin, TCO development tagit fram. Vi har också besökt kontorsarbetare som förklarar varför de inte stänger av datorn när dom går på lunch eller möte."<br /><br />Executive summary:<br />PCs may at first seem inconspicuous from an ecological point of view, but there are so terribly many of them so their energy consumption (which makes up 70% of the problem) is enormous in sum. According to some calculations, the climate impact of the world's IT use is nearly as large as that of air traffic!<br /><br />In a new report by TCO Development, whose main author Håkan Nordin was interviewed in Swedish public radio this morning, a typical office computer spends as much as two months per year running in spite of not being used (while the human is having lunch, in meetings etc.).<br /><br />A few tips for office users:<br /><ul><li>Quite a lot of people obviously still believe that a screen saver saves energy. Sorry, that is complete nonsense: the computer is still running, as is the monitor, so they happily consume energy!</li><li>Find and activate the energy-saving settings of your computer (most computers in question run Windows, and Windows positively has these settings)!</li><li>Overcome your laziness... Do press the power switch on your monitor if you go away! Modern LCD displays take no longer than 1, 2 seconds to come on again once you are back.</li></ul>For home users hunting for a new PC, Håkan Nordin recommends to pester the sellers with questions about the efficiency of the different models. A system with cheap, inefficient components may use up to 8 times as much energy as an equivalent efficient one!!<br /><br />Also noteworthy: Another considerable part of the global IT consumption stems from the data centres feeding the internet.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-67278342681216705752008-03-31T21:43:00.004+02:002008-03-31T22:27:52.162+02:00A reason to be proud to be a EuropeanAs an engineer I feel particularly proud to be a European these days, seeing as our space agency, the ESA, has accomplished and is accomplishing an impressive feat with the launch of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6249578.stm">Jules Verne</a>, the first of a series of ATVs (Automated Transfer Vehicles) -- space "trucks" bound for the International Space Station ISS -- and its preparations for rendezvous with the ISS, which is to occur come Thursday. It is heartening to see how flawlessly nearly everything has gone for the mission so far!<br /><br />Follow the news in <a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ATV/index.html">ESA's ATV special</a> and see some of the coverage by Jonathan Amos of the BBC's Science division, for instance about the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7285796.stm">launch </a>and about today's <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7323275.stm">beautiful approach "dress rehearsal"</a> (at the bottom of which you can see a live plot of the ATV's path over the earth!).<br /><br />Now if that can't motivate me to try and do some similarly high-quality European science...Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-15476100057015646432008-03-21T21:03:00.007+01:002008-03-21T21:49:18.717+01:00Obama speech<div style="text-align: justify;">Last Tuesday, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama">Barack Obama</a>, the leading candidate in the Democrats' primaries for this year's US presidential election, gave a speech in Philadelphia, <a href="http://www.barackobama.com/2008/03/18/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_53.php">"A More Perfect Union"</a>, in which he took a critical stand on a questionable sermon of the former minister of his Chicago congregation, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wright">Reverend Jeremiah Wright</a>.<br />I really think the speech is a noteworthy example of some of Obama's "philosophy" and even more than that, of his ability to express himself, both his rhethoric and eloquence, so I warmly recommend you to read and/or watch at least a part of it (you may not have enough patience for all of the 37 minutes) if you haven't done so yet!<br />What a joy it would be to have this man as the next US President, after the incumbent blundering, if and when not criminal, babbling baboon!! Here's crossing my fingers...<br /></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-88534621643830529892008-03-21T21:03:00.004+01:002008-03-21T21:06:01.890+01:00A new kind of tube radio... [DE]Deutschlandradio Kultur: <a href="http://www.dradio.de/dkultur/sendungen/wissenschaft/746852/">Das kleinste Radio der Welt</a> ist ein Röhrenradio... ein <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nano</span>röhrenradio! :-)Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-50768038269780510552008-03-16T16:16:00.005+01:002008-03-16T16:48:47.865+01:00Castles in the AirI read this the other day and found it very apt: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them.” – Henry David Thoreau<br />Maybe it's a bit too verbose really to fit Miguel de Cervantes' observation: “An aphorism is a <span style="font-style: italic;">short </span>sentence based on long experience”, but that doesn't lessen its value as food for thought.<br />There is nothing wrong with dreaming, as long as you don't stop at dreaming but strive to make the dreams come true -- that's what I've made out of it. Any more ideas?Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7901387698908251836.post-77959574813937211472008-03-16T14:13:00.006+01:002008-03-16T16:00:33.693+01:00Incipit"At a blank sheet you can stare forever."<br /><br />Hej, hello, hallo, my friends, family and pals!<br /><div align="justify">As I was planning to start this blog I spent some thought on which language to write in. Since I don't feel keen on awkwardly writing everything thrice (for my German-speaking, Swedish-speaking, and international readers), what I have now decided upon is to take <i>lingua franca</i> English as the default (what surprise!), but to liberally post, quote, or link to stuff in either language if the subject is mostly interesting for the speakers of that language anyway. Hope that suits you all fine!<br />Other than that, the task for this post was mostly to overcome the barrier expressed in the first words: the harrowing experience of sitting in front of a blank sheet (or screen in this case) and not knowing what to write simply because I have not written anything on it yet!<br />Seems I have succeeded in that... so from now on you may expect to find new entries of mine here on a loosely regular basis. As noteworthy events come and go.<br />Cheers! /Sebastian<br /></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11544528666351768681noreply@blogger.com0