Unknown to everyone, the Mario Brothers also had a sister. 26 November 2008
The Italian Sister of Famous Video Game Brothers
Unknown to everyone, the Mario Brothers also had a sister. 
04 November 2008
27 October 2008
The Name of Oakwar
Oh, sad day! I signed up for a deviantART account a long time ago, but this and that came up and I don't think I ever actually used it. Recently, I wanted to reactivate the account and have a go at it again (I now have in mind a way to use the accout), but low! someone has already taken my beloved name, Oakwar! And their account is more recent than the one I created oh so long ago. Come to find out with further investigation, the original username I gave myself wasn't even Oakwar, but sodeeplytall. Not sure what I was thinking. *shakes head sadly* It is a mistake I hope not to repeat. So, there are some "Oakwar"s out there who are not me...
25 October 2008
Top 5 Firefox add-ons Review from Download.com
Okay, I agree with all but the number one pick. Maybe it was just my computer, but All-in-One Sidebar constantly went crazy on me. The rest are pretty cool.
Open Office
Ah, Open Office, so you would never have to buy Microsoft Office again. Well, I'm a big fan anyway, and there are other people too (http://education.zdnet.com/?p=1895&tag=nl.e589 Granted there are some rather technical observations, but I have found much of what he said to be true.) My favorite part of the suite is an experience I had not too long ago. My friend called me up late one night and said she had a paper due the next day. She was wondering if I would edit it for her. She emailed it to me, I used the edit function in Open Office Writer (the equivalent of Word) and all I had to do was delete what I wanted and type what I wanted and the program crossed out the deleted text and made my additions red so my friend could see what I had changed automatically. I was done in thirty minutes. I don't know if Word has a similar ability, but this was easily suggested to me when I was looking at new ways to use the application. After using it, I was very impressed. So, I highly recommend looking into it! By the way, ZDNet now runs the website that I trust to download all my open source applications from. They have been very knowledgeable and reliable when it comes to technical information. On the other hand, as always, you should try to hear from more than just one source... So, here's a whole bunch more! O.o! (I love Google...)
- http://blogs.computerworld.
com/review_of_final_ (.docx is the new Vista (Windows' newest operating system) standard, instead of .doc. It caused the business school a bunch of problems when Vista was first installed. The students were quick to change the defaults on all the lab computers back to something more compatible with the rest of the world...)openoffice_3_why_buy_ microsoft_office
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
OpenOffice.org (I love Wikipedia too...)
- http://www.fiercecio.com/
techwatch/story/openoffice-3- (I think it's awesome that users crashed the site to download the software! People must like the software. The site is working again, I just downloaded it for a friend on her computer yesterday.)0-released/2008-10-14
- http://news.cnet.com/Google-
throws-bodies-at-OpenOffice/ (a little older information, but interesting)2100-7344_3-5920762.html
- http://www.realtechnews.com/
posts/1705 (also older, but good info)
01 October 2008
18 September 2008
Learning Photoshop
Before
After
It's subtle, I know. Now on to more complicated attempts. For my next trick, I plan to add a mountain in the clouds...
04 September 2008
August 8th
A date is an arbitrary thing decided and agreed upon with no real significance outside the human collective mind. A plant does not care what day it is. Season, yes. Date, no.
08 August 2008
09 July 2008
Moof for Two
1 quarter sized bunch of angel hair pasta (aprox.)
Pulp from 1 rolled lime
1 onion grated, keep the juice (some or all may be diced instead)
1 large carrot finely grated (or 5-6 large mini carrots)
2 handfuls of mushrooms diced
1 handful of chives diced
3 splashes of red wine
2 splashes of mirin
Almond oil
6-7 large, dried basil leaves
1 pre-cooked frozen hamburger patty
2 sets of chopsticks, 2 deep bowls
Set a pot to boiling the angel hair pasta and add a splash of almond oil. Start grating the onion and carrots and chopping the mushrooms while the noodles are cooking. When the noodles are just shy of being done, remove the pot and set it to one side. Don't strain or remove the noodles from the water yet. Stir the onion, onion juice, carrots, mushrooms, red wine, mirin and a healthy splash of almond oil into a frying pan and set on medium to simmer. Crush the dried basil leaves and add them to the pan. Occasionally stir the ingredients to evenly cook everything. At some point before the onion and carrots are done, thaw the hamburger patty, chop it up and add it to the frying pan. When the onions are tender, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chives. Strain the pasta and put half in each bowl. Stir in a dash of almond oil and half the lime pulp in each, then divide up the contents of the frying pan and enjoy with your chopsticks!
When I shared this meal with my friend, we also had a cup of warm sake and a glass of chai milk. I don't know about the sake, but the chai milk was a nice complement to the meal. The onion concoction was created out of a sale of onions at Costco. 15 onions for $4... So I have been creative with my onion consumption, this being the most recent onion experiment. I really like onions, but chopping them, for me, is most agonizing. As I cook with my nose and start cooking before I really have a fully formed idea in my head of what the meal will turn out to be upon its completion, I can't really afford to be incapacitated by evil onion smell, so grating the onions with a really strong fan pointed at my face seems to be the only way I can enjoy this most excellent vegetable. And since the grater is already out, why not use it for the carrots which have a notoriously slow cook time? The almond oil, red wine, and mirin were all things I had about the kitchen and smelled like they would be nice additions to the pot. The pre-cooked hamburger patty is also from a Costco sale, as I've never been a big fan of cooking my own meat. I tossed it in the microwave for 45 sec on each side and added it to the pot for a meat. The angel hair pasta was where this particular meal started. I have a box of it with six packages still to go from way back when, so it probably needs to be eaten... I set it to cook on the stove then started to poke about for what else I could add to it, hence the reason it was cooked first and then set aside. I remembered a previous onion experiment, spruced it up and the rest is what you have before you now... Most tasty!
Pulp from 1 rolled lime
1 onion grated, keep the juice (some or all may be diced instead)
1 large carrot finely grated (or 5-6 large mini carrots)
2 handfuls of mushrooms diced
1 handful of chives diced
3 splashes of red wine
2 splashes of mirin
Almond oil
6-7 large, dried basil leaves
1 pre-cooked frozen hamburger patty
2 sets of chopsticks, 2 deep bowls
Set a pot to boiling the angel hair pasta and add a splash of almond oil. Start grating the onion and carrots and chopping the mushrooms while the noodles are cooking. When the noodles are just shy of being done, remove the pot and set it to one side. Don't strain or remove the noodles from the water yet. Stir the onion, onion juice, carrots, mushrooms, red wine, mirin and a healthy splash of almond oil into a frying pan and set on medium to simmer. Crush the dried basil leaves and add them to the pan. Occasionally stir the ingredients to evenly cook everything. At some point before the onion and carrots are done, thaw the hamburger patty, chop it up and add it to the frying pan. When the onions are tender, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chives. Strain the pasta and put half in each bowl. Stir in a dash of almond oil and half the lime pulp in each, then divide up the contents of the frying pan and enjoy with your chopsticks!
When I shared this meal with my friend, we also had a cup of warm sake and a glass of chai milk. I don't know about the sake, but the chai milk was a nice complement to the meal. The onion concoction was created out of a sale of onions at Costco. 15 onions for $4... So I have been creative with my onion consumption, this being the most recent onion experiment. I really like onions, but chopping them, for me, is most agonizing. As I cook with my nose and start cooking before I really have a fully formed idea in my head of what the meal will turn out to be upon its completion, I can't really afford to be incapacitated by evil onion smell, so grating the onions with a really strong fan pointed at my face seems to be the only way I can enjoy this most excellent vegetable. And since the grater is already out, why not use it for the carrots which have a notoriously slow cook time? The almond oil, red wine, and mirin were all things I had about the kitchen and smelled like they would be nice additions to the pot. The pre-cooked hamburger patty is also from a Costco sale, as I've never been a big fan of cooking my own meat. I tossed it in the microwave for 45 sec on each side and added it to the pot for a meat. The angel hair pasta was where this particular meal started. I have a box of it with six packages still to go from way back when, so it probably needs to be eaten... I set it to cook on the stove then started to poke about for what else I could add to it, hence the reason it was cooked first and then set aside. I remembered a previous onion experiment, spruced it up and the rest is what you have before you now... Most tasty!
10 June 2008
08 June 2008
04 June 2008
06 April 2008
As the Light Changes
Sitting in a garden of books
Computer is gently warm
With internet as a window
Man snores softly
The passage of time
Stories of the world and
Understanding to be had.
Computer is gently warm
With internet as a window
Man snores softly
The passage of time
Stories of the world and
Understanding to be had.
20 March 2008
17 March 2008
26 February 2008
Everything Happens for a Reason
So, I've known for a while now that my computer is very old. In fact, several months ago my financial intentions were to acquire a new computer when the new mac operating system had been released. Okay, so maybe it was more than several months ago as my money has since been spent on something very different... When the current "big choice" of my life came around and I did a (I regret to say) very rough opportunity cost analysis, the cost of not being able to buy a new computer was factored and I decided I was okay with putting it off until I had more money.
However, I am now being forced to re-evaluate that conclusion. Over several days last week, I had been noticing a surplus in damaged files on my computer, culminating in a disappearance of complete folders entirely, to where I was forced to admit that the amount of missing data was increasing. Something had infected my computer and was eating my data. For a while, my outlook had been that since most of the missing data had been downloaded from the internet in the first place, the only thing I was really losing was the hard earned time it had taken to actually find and download that material as I could go and redownload it... However, I eventually discovered that this predicament was just a bit more serious than I could easily shrug off. In very big and round letters, I was forced to utter a pronounced, "Explicative." In addition to the loss of several applications, all of my research on the AOL campaign (six months of intensive work) was lost...
So my inability to update my virus protection as my computer is so old (also one of the applications that has disappeared) and lack of hard drive back ups as my computer no longer has the ability to burn discs, have recently given me a new depth perception. Hmm... No, I still would have spent my money in that fashion for the most part, but my education is turning out to be a little more expensive than previously thought. More than just financial, my free time is now also required to make up for the missing pieces.
Actually, this probably doesn't come down to the age of my computer so much as it is a reflection of my intelligence. I chose not to buy a computer that would protect me from this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean there were not other preventative steps I could have taken... If only I could be just a little bit smarter or a little bit more willing to put in the effort needed.
From a different perspective, perhaps I was meant to develop more awareness of my situation. The event occurs now, when the most important data I could lose was only academic in nature rather than grounds for employment termination. I have gained a real appreciation of backing up my data rather than just an academic one. In trying to make up for the data loss, I have become reacquainted with the Windows operating system, a useful skill for the job market, as well as the campus library resource of laptop rentals. Online music streaming and online data storage, free and accessible on any computer, are now viewed as more valuable.
All things considered, I'm actually taking the situation pretty well. Everything happens for a reason, right?
However, I am now being forced to re-evaluate that conclusion. Over several days last week, I had been noticing a surplus in damaged files on my computer, culminating in a disappearance of complete folders entirely, to where I was forced to admit that the amount of missing data was increasing. Something had infected my computer and was eating my data. For a while, my outlook had been that since most of the missing data had been downloaded from the internet in the first place, the only thing I was really losing was the hard earned time it had taken to actually find and download that material as I could go and redownload it... However, I eventually discovered that this predicament was just a bit more serious than I could easily shrug off. In very big and round letters, I was forced to utter a pronounced, "Explicative." In addition to the loss of several applications, all of my research on the AOL campaign (six months of intensive work) was lost...
So my inability to update my virus protection as my computer is so old (also one of the applications that has disappeared) and lack of hard drive back ups as my computer no longer has the ability to burn discs, have recently given me a new depth perception. Hmm... No, I still would have spent my money in that fashion for the most part, but my education is turning out to be a little more expensive than previously thought. More than just financial, my free time is now also required to make up for the missing pieces.
Actually, this probably doesn't come down to the age of my computer so much as it is a reflection of my intelligence. I chose not to buy a computer that would protect me from this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean there were not other preventative steps I could have taken... If only I could be just a little bit smarter or a little bit more willing to put in the effort needed.
From a different perspective, perhaps I was meant to develop more awareness of my situation. The event occurs now, when the most important data I could lose was only academic in nature rather than grounds for employment termination. I have gained a real appreciation of backing up my data rather than just an academic one. In trying to make up for the data loss, I have become reacquainted with the Windows operating system, a useful skill for the job market, as well as the campus library resource of laptop rentals. Online music streaming and online data storage, free and accessible on any computer, are now viewed as more valuable.
All things considered, I'm actually taking the situation pretty well. Everything happens for a reason, right?
14 February 2008
09 February 2008
One of the Last Rides for the Old Tram
I was cleaning out a part of my computer when I discovered these pictures from two summers ago. I used to work for a music festival at the base of a mountain resort. From my booth, I would watch people ride up and down the tram to the top of the mountain all day long, but I never got to go myself. I imagine this is how employees at an airport might feel. Everyday they are surrounded by the promise of adventure, the hint of excitement, the lure of the unknown. Yet everyday they only get to watch as others board the plane. I imagine they get used to it, but I always seemed to harbor a strange twinge of jealousy toward those who had more freedom in purchasing a tram
ticket to ride the tram than I did in my ability to ride for free but no time to go. Perhaps you think I'm being silly. It's just a tram ride to the top of a mountain, I've been on top of mountains before and I used to live in a place where I could go to the top of a mountain any time I chose. What's so special about being on top of a mountain or getting on that plane and so on... My answer? Perspective. Even if you have no other pursuit in your life, you should always strive to gain a new perspective.06 February 2008
03 February 2008
By Your Words
"But perhaps he may be a little whimsical in his civilities," replied her uncle. "Your great men often are; and therefore I shall not take him at his word, as he might change his mind another day, and warn me off his grounds." ~Pride and Prejudice
A far more eloquent way of stating it. Your words will only be words until you can be prevailed upon to demonstrate a consistency of actions to prove their worth.
A far more eloquent way of stating it. Your words will only be words until you can be prevailed upon to demonstrate a consistency of actions to prove their worth.
01 February 2008
The Language of the Industry (Soon to be the Language of Everyone Else)
I love the business world. When we come across a concept for which there is no word, we make one up. My current favorite is "frenemy" - a short-term friend but a long-term enemy. The term is used to describe temporarily beneficial partnerships between indirect competitors, but it could easily be applied to everyday relationship categorizations. Just imagine the new color to your social network a word like this affords! Like the word "muggle," I can see this one taking on household and playground acceptance in short order.
Besides, it's just plain fun to say.
Besides, it's just plain fun to say.
25 January 2008
Discheveled Plant
I see that disheveled is the Word of the Day for today. "Disheveled Plant" was one of the top names I was considering for the name of my website (and, by extension, this blog.) What can I say? I have a lot of very disheveled plants... In the end, I choose "Oakwar" because it's one word, easy to spell and unique enough to be easily distinguished from other sites.
22 January 2008
It Pays to Be Helpful, Apparently...
My campus has few options of food vendors for people with the smallest meal plan possible. (What can I say? I'm cheap, especially when I'm being taken advantage of...) The Country Store: a gas-station-like grocery selection with high-end deli prices. The Food Zoo: the campus cafeteria named by the students which lives up to its name, in every way. And that's it. Needless to say, I try to mix it up as the Food Zoo is cheaper, but I find myself frequenting the Country Store more often.
Today, being no exception, I bought my breakfast at the Country Store (incidentally, the cafeteria doesn't open for breakfast) with the intention of returning in the afternoon to restock my dorm fridge. After class however (around 2pm), I returned to find the store locked and barred. I was confused and currious, as this was out of the ordinary and the store had been open this morning. So, I proceeded to see if I could find some sort of note or sign indicating what had happened. I passed a couple of people on the way in who had obviously been heading for the same destination in the pursuit of food, including one girl who I would encounter later. A small, hastily printed sign, which I assume had once been taped to the door via a single piece of scotch-tape, had now been kicked into a corner of the floor with several wet foot prints on it and was the only acknowledgement that something was not quite right. Apparently a pipe had burst quite unexpectedly and the store was closed until further notice. I should have got my food stores this morning, silly me.
Walking back to the dorm, I passed the cafeteria. I decided, rather spur of the moment, that perhaps I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Not much was waiting for me back in the dorm and I was starting to feel a little hungry. At the door, I saw the girl from before. She was inquiring about the carry out option of the cafeteria and I indicated that I wanted that option too. I turned to her, smiled and said,
"Busted pipes, eh?" She smiled and nodded as the kid behind the desk tried to explain to us what we had already found out. She turned to him and said as she pulled out two five-dollar bills,
"So, I don't have a meal plan..." The kid looked up and said,
"Uh, well, without a meal plan it's about $8 and with a meal plan it's $3.25..." I shook my head and stepped forward,
"No, that's crazy. Here, put two meals on my card." I handed him my card and turned to her, "There's nothing much out right now, totally not worth $8." She looked surprised and grateful.
"Thank you. Um, here." And she handed me one of the fives she had been holding.
In the end, she was saved from paying $3 more and I received an extra $2 for my trouble. Of course, we're probably both being ripped off by the not-even-worth-$3.25-when-it's-not-regular-meal-time selection, but when you're hungry... Conclusion: It pays to be helpful, apparently...
Today, being no exception, I bought my breakfast at the Country Store (incidentally, the cafeteria doesn't open for breakfast) with the intention of returning in the afternoon to restock my dorm fridge. After class however (around 2pm), I returned to find the store locked and barred. I was confused and currious, as this was out of the ordinary and the store had been open this morning. So, I proceeded to see if I could find some sort of note or sign indicating what had happened. I passed a couple of people on the way in who had obviously been heading for the same destination in the pursuit of food, including one girl who I would encounter later. A small, hastily printed sign, which I assume had once been taped to the door via a single piece of scotch-tape, had now been kicked into a corner of the floor with several wet foot prints on it and was the only acknowledgement that something was not quite right. Apparently a pipe had burst quite unexpectedly and the store was closed until further notice. I should have got my food stores this morning, silly me.
Walking back to the dorm, I passed the cafeteria. I decided, rather spur of the moment, that perhaps I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Not much was waiting for me back in the dorm and I was starting to feel a little hungry. At the door, I saw the girl from before. She was inquiring about the carry out option of the cafeteria and I indicated that I wanted that option too. I turned to her, smiled and said,
"Busted pipes, eh?" She smiled and nodded as the kid behind the desk tried to explain to us what we had already found out. She turned to him and said as she pulled out two five-dollar bills,
"So, I don't have a meal plan..." The kid looked up and said,
"Uh, well, without a meal plan it's about $8 and with a meal plan it's $3.25..." I shook my head and stepped forward,
"No, that's crazy. Here, put two meals on my card." I handed him my card and turned to her, "There's nothing much out right now, totally not worth $8." She looked surprised and grateful.
"Thank you. Um, here." And she handed me one of the fives she had been holding.
In the end, she was saved from paying $3 more and I received an extra $2 for my trouble. Of course, we're probably both being ripped off by the not-even-worth-$3.25-when-it's-not-regular-meal-time selection, but when you're hungry... Conclusion: It pays to be helpful, apparently...
How Different History Could Have Been and Still Might Be...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Mediterranean_Event
The Eastern Mediterranean Event was a high-energy aerial explosion over the Mediterranean Sea, similar to a small atamic bomb. Nuclear war could have erupted between India and Pakistan in 2002 if the asteroid had come a few hours later and exploded over the disputed Kashmir territory instead of the Eastern Mediterranean (the same latitude). How fragile our world is...
More recently, are we headed for another cold war?
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/discussion.aspx?fldIdTopic=1165&fldIdMsg=1251
The Eastern Mediterranean Event was a high-energy aerial explosion over the Mediterranean Sea, similar to a small atamic bomb. Nuclear war could have erupted between India and Pakistan in 2002 if the asteroid had come a few hours later and exploded over the disputed Kashmir territory instead of the Eastern Mediterranean (the same latitude). How fragile our world is...
More recently, are we headed for another cold war?
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/discussion.aspx?fldIdTopic=1165&fldIdMsg=1251
20 January 2008
Tibet at the Dawn of 2008
I have read arguments (also voiced by certain ethnic groups residing in America, I might add) against Americans decrying human rights violations in Tibet. They cite the previous and detrimental policy the United States once held toward Native Americans and the argument snidely concludes that "Time makes everything okay, right?" I respond by asking if I kill my brother, does that justify and give you the right to kill yours? Aren't both actions wrong, no matter who commits them or when?
We can all learn from our mistakes. And even though the United States is still struggling to find an amicable resolution to a situation created by an older generation from a different time, they are still making the attempt. That doesn't mean other travesties should go overlooked. It shouldn't be seen as because the country involved is a Buddhist people, who can be portrayed as a worthy cause; nor that the oppressor is China, gearing up for the massive publicity to be garnered by the summer Olympics of 2008. People question religious persecution and the debasement of innocents, no matter where it happens (even in America by other Americans.) History has taught that these are mistakes. You would begrudge others for wanting to share this discovery?
14 January 2008
Nostalgia: Europe 2004
This was the very first iMovie I ever created. When we first got back from the trip and I sat down to review the media, I heard each of these songs playing in my head. Not much has changed for my method of chosing what song to use, but now I generally only use one song per video. My style tendencies have changed as well.
09 January 2008
The Eyes of a Powerful Man and My Cringing Inner Self
What makes us different? A bold question that leads to so many more, on so many different levels. What is your drive to succeed? Few have power, while several are employed to clean the streets. There will always be someone more important or powerful than you.
Everyone has influence in varying degrees. Wield it wisely, right? And watch closely how it affects you. For you are alone in your decisions and responsibility, your situation is your own.
You have no time. That makes us all the same. No matter how much we achieve, time makes us all insignificant in the end. Nothing is permanent. Given enough time, the faces of those with power will always change. What is your purpose? In the end, it is not a question of willingness but a question of how far you will go to achieve that purpose, what you will sacrifice and the consequences you will face.
It is your burden. Please try to avoid hypocrisy.
Everyone has influence in varying degrees. Wield it wisely, right? And watch closely how it affects you. For you are alone in your decisions and responsibility, your situation is your own.
You have no time. That makes us all the same. No matter how much we achieve, time makes us all insignificant in the end. Nothing is permanent. Given enough time, the faces of those with power will always change. What is your purpose? In the end, it is not a question of willingness but a question of how far you will go to achieve that purpose, what you will sacrifice and the consequences you will face.
It is your burden. Please try to avoid hypocrisy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
