Why are things smaller in Mexico?

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

I've come up with one small complaint about Mexico. As much as I've lost weight, I'm still a pretty big guy — I'm six-foot-two, have big hands, feet, and so on. I've been wanting to get some new shoes down here, and it's exceedingly difficult to find ones that fit. Had to pick up some socks as well, and even their “extra large” ones barely fit. It's actually kind of weird… and don't even get me started on their diminutive (both in lack of larger sizes and of selection) condom selection — that's not a small dick joke — I'm sure that's more so an issue of Catholicism than physical stature.

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Polls are lame, right?

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

I haven't done a poll in a long time. This if from newaddict via FREE. Filling it out it really struck me how little I know about my own life. I think my head is so full that stuff is falling out.

01. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?   02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more?
Let's see…. I'd never OD'd on a ketamine and opiate cocktail before. Does that count? It was the first time I ever lived in an apartment building (I don't think university res counts), and it was the first time I visited South America. I don't think I made any, so there were none to keep. If I made them, I forgot them. I didn't make any this year either, although I would like to get in better shape. I felt great when I was going to the gym, but stopped going when I moved to Toronto.
03. Did anyone close to you give birth? 04. Did anyone close to you die?
A surprisingly large number, yes. Only one in “real life” though (both my brother and brother-in-law are having early January babies). Yes, unfortunately, and none were of natural causes. Only one really shook me though. Way too many suicides…
05. What countries did you visit? 06. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
I didn't travel much at all in 2004 (a lot more in 2003 when I was in the Netherlands, the UK, Antigua, BVI, St. Martin, Hawaii, and more) — my only trip was to Buenos Aires, Argentina, but it was really nice. Time. That's really all I want that's realistic. The only other thing I'd like is not to live under the constant fear of arrest and prosecution for my social views (ie. BME).
07. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Unfortunately nothing but code and BME details are etched in my memory. I don't even know what weekday it is today. I don't think I did anything particularly unusual, I really just worked all year long. I started painting again and did a few pieces I was very happy with. I'm happy with all the things I've done, I worked very hard this year.
09. What was your biggest failure? 10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Too much drug use. Part of my motivation in moving to Mexico is to get away from the drugs for a while. Yeah, I know it's the land of $5 an ounce pot, but I'm trying to take a break. Not really.
11. What was the best thing you bought? 12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
You'd have to ask the people I bought stuff for. I didn't buy anything of import for myself all year. My daughter Nefarious is very cool.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 14. Where did most of your money go?
Yeah, I think you know the answer to that one. BME-related projects and people I care about, as well as a large chunk of charitable donations.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Really, I've just struggled to keep up with the workload and try and provide things for everyone. That's why I'm hoping I can somehow generate time for myself some time in the next few years. Even just a week off would be nice. I didn't listen to music in 2004, or for some time before that, which makes me very sad. I just don't have a place to set up my stereo and listen to it. One day… A guy can dream, right?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier, and are you richer? 18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Neither has changed that much. I just wish I had time of my own.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? 20. How did you spend New Years?
I'm happy with the things that I did and I don't think there are any of them that I wish I'd done less of. That's the problem! I spent it with Rachel here in Mexico.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004? 23. How many one-night stands?
Love isn't really something that you do on a given date. It's permanent and it's not something that you fall into — it's something you reveal. Zero. Not really my thing, on top of the obvious reason for the answer “zero”.
24. What was your favorite TV program? 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I'm a sucker for Survivor and hope my cable service here will show it. I don't hate anyone, although I don't enjoy the company of stupid people.
26. What was the best book you read? 27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The only non-fiction book I read cover-to-cover in 2004 was How to Own a Continent. I enjoyed it, but it's far from a “best book”. Having little time I'm constrained to non-fiction reading. Like I said, I didn't listen to a lot of music but I like The Unintended's debut album, a very Canadian low-key indie project.
28. What did you want and get? 29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't get anything in 2004. I didn't go to many movies. It's not so much that it was my “favorite film” of the year or anything like that, but I liked going to see Mean Girls with Rachel, but that's just because I like going to movies with her. I think I may have smashed up our Touareg that day as well.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Scheduling conflicts and work obligations canceled my birthday this year, although I did have plans to eat a blueberry pie, get incredibly high, and watch TV in my underwear (hey, when you work all the time, sometimes that's all you want). I turned thirty-one. Thirty-six hour long days.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? 34. What kept you sane?
Fashion is a state of mind. Nothing. Don't you read my diary?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? 36. What political issue stirred you the most?
No one in particular. Needless killing. I guess it's true that “9-11 changed everything” because it forced us all to accept that there are issues that we can't keep ignoring. I was politically aware before then, but that's really what flipped me “on”.
37. Who did you miss? 38. Who was the best new person you met?
I miss a lot of people; I wish we all lived closer. I even miss some people I haven't met in real life. I'm not sure. I meet a lot of amazing people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004. 40. There is no question 40.
Do it now, because you're going to die soon. Keep going, and never stop. -AWK Yeah, there's also no question twenty-one or thirty. What's up with that?

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Buffered update software

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

I've got my buffered update software running in debug mode right now (where it just says everything it wants to do, rather than actually doing it) and it appears to be functioning fine… So I'm going to make it live shortly and add first the BME/HARD images, and then take it from there.

Above are screenshots of my internal updating software; the screen on the left is what shows me what's in the buffer and lets me select which things are to go into the current update, and the screen on the right is a single image being added (in debug mode; the live version isn't so chatty).
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Updating and general commentary

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

It's not like PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) doesn't regularly post disturbing stories about what's going on in America, but this one really takes the cake:

Washington, DC - The Bush Administration has decided that it will stand by its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noahs flood rather than by geologic forces.

It's as if the Bush administration's goal is singularly to make the United States some bizarre feared laughing stock of the world, as if it were Emperor Commodus being ridiculed by those living in terror of his insane wrath. What a strange, strange world religion and power have built.

Other than that I see that the US Congress is expecting a $100 billion war request for 2005 (on top of the current $420 billion Pentagon budget). Let's put that number into context by pointing out that the cost of “curing” hunger and disease (creating sustainable solutions that ensure everyone on the planet has food and good living conditions — sanitation, clean water, food, universal education and healthcare, and so on) is about $30 billion if you use the UNDP numbers or $80 billion if you use the more conservative (and corporate profit oriented) World Bank numbers (more, more).

That is, the cost of a non-military solution to all of the world's core problems is a tiny fraction of what we currently spent on war. Conclusion: We're a bunch of murdering idiots.

Oh, and I haven't got Internet access at the house yet so I think I'm going to have to upload a BME/HARD update from here at the hotel's business center. Expect that this afternoon…

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Update schedule

Monday, January 3, 2005

Sorry the BME update is taking longer than expected. Here's what's happening over the next few days… Tomorrow I start doing image updates, beginning with sections of BME/HARD and BME/extreme (have to keep the paying members happy!) — the new software lets me stagger updates like that. Experiences will get injected at some point this week as well, and you'll be seeing a new article going up every couple of days until all the intern articles are up (all have been received now).


I <3 Mexico

Thanks everyone for your patience, I think I've only got two or three angry messages so far which is better than expected. Maybe the world is getting more mellow.
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