-
Uncategorized
A software pet peeve
Why is there still [tag]software[/tag] that doesn’t save the user’s settings until the application closes? Why does software bother to have a “Save” button in their Customization dialog if the damn thing doesn’t actually save the settings until the program closes? I’ve worked on a (real-life) project where the software did that, and I’m currently playing chess in a program called [tag]Pawn 2[/tag] that does the same damn thing. It doesn’t help that I have to forceably close Pawn 2 after I hibernate or if my screensaver cuts on, so my settings are almost never saved. (It’s got some kind of video bug.) This ain’t the 80s, and I/O just…
-
Racism: how much of a bitch should I be?
I’m never sure how vicious to be when I encounter racism and have the ability to put a stop to it. For instance, last night, during a game at my apartment, Tookie suggested someone break a bottle and use it as a weapon. The excited response from Gimpy Phil was, “Nigger knife!” Um, what? This shit ain’t happening in my damn house. The moment passed just quickly enough that I wasn’t sure I should go back and harp on it. I was on edge for the rest of the evening, though, ready to jump in and tell some folks to take that shit elsewhere if they said anything else like…
-
Uncategorized
Matthew Wayne Selznick’s Brave Men Run
[tag]Brave Men Run[/tag] is a free audiobook that I listened to this summer while working. It’s the tale of Nate Charters, a high schooler with a few extra abilities, like heightened senses. After years of hiding his abilities, it turns out he’s not alone, and the Sovereigns (other specially-powered folks) are a political force to be reckoned with. Charters, though, is rather more concerned with the strange homeless man that’s following him around, school bullies, and a pretty lady that thinks he has nice eyes. WO pushed this story at me because of my interest in the X-Men, and I’m appreciative. [tag]Matthew Wayne Selznick[/tag] has created a fun ‘verse here,…
-
“Big chop”
I did it. I cut off all my hair. All of it. It’s pretty butch, no lie, but honestly, I love it. It’s so easy–I couldn’t get closer to “wash ‘n’ go” without shaving bald (and that’s higher maintenance in frequency of cutting). WO did all of the cutting for me, and the poor guy winced as he cut off each plait. He was so attached to those things. By the time we got down to the clippers, though, he was good. Right now, I don’t plan to let it grow out. I’m liking it short, and I’m not much for wearing a fuller afro.
-
Uncategorized
Steven H. Wilson’s Taken Liberty
[tag]Taken Liberty[/tag] is a free audiobook that I listened to (mostly) at work this summer. The summary from the above-linked website: The Confederated Worlds are unparalleled as a society of free people, yet, somehow, slavery still manages to exist. Aer’La, a non-human, was bred to serve as a pleasure slave. Years ago, she escaped her masters and masqueraded as a human, joining the Confederate Navy, where she worked her way up to ship’s Bos’n under the heroic Captain Jan Atal. Now, Aer’La’s secret has been discovered by Atal’s superiors, the media, and the world at large. Branded a sociopath, she learns that even a free society isn’t willing to grant…