An orange in an apple orchard
I’ve noticed that if I place my screen window into copy mode while the compiler runs, Firefox doesn’t become so massively unresponsive, slower, but no where near as slow. This makes me wonder a bit.
Either way, I can run less bloated web browsers on this meager laptop without any hiccups from a running compiler 8=).
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thy happiness,—-
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.O for a draught of vintage, that hath been
Cooled a long age in the deep-delved earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provencal song, and sun-burnt mirth!
O for a beaker full of the warm South,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget
What thou among the leaves hast never known,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
And leaden-eyed despairs;
Where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
Or new love pine at them beyond tomorrow.Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:
Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Clustered around by all her starry fays;
But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet
Wherewith the seasonable month endows
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
Fast-fading violets covered up in leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.Darkling I listen; and for many a time
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Called him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad
In such an ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—-
To thy high requiem become a sodThou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is famed to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—-do I wake or sleep?Ode To A Nightingale—John Keats, 1819
Well, it seems that I am awake before the sun rises, yet again! Yesterday I woke up at just a bit past 0300, feeling like I had slept all morning long, actually had to triple check the alarm clock and look out the window, to make sure ma wasn’t playing a joke. This morning, it’s like having the brain switch on to far, in order to go back to sleep: been that way for a while, save nights where I’ve hardly slept at all.
From all the years I’ve spent working into the night, sometimes until after dawn: and usually having to be up for work. Last year, I reached the point where I rarely can sleep more then three or four hours at a time, like automatically waking up without any alarms chiming. Attempting to actually get into the habit of waking up ‘early’ having generally failed, as I like falling back asleep to much lol, that was never much of a problem. With a friends recent trip (which I’ll just say, involved dangerous ground), and the impact it had on my dreams, I think has helped to cement it into my mind: to wake up, and to stay up. Something I’ve been unable to hammer into it for years lol.
Traditionally, I’d sleep straight through like a log, if ever waking up: just long enough to stagger off to relive myself of a pint or so lol. Working habits becoming more eratic, caused me to drift more in the habit of waking up at least 2 or 3 times every night, at fairly regular intervals o/. For the past two and a half months or so, I’ve been waking up and generally, been reaching wide awake quite quickly.
While I reckon, not the way intended, I would say that’s still an objective complete: getting into the habit of waking up early. Last time I was successfully in this habit, was when I was working shifts of 0400-2000 on a regular basis; where there was no real choice in the matter. Honestly I prefer getting up early, over sleeping in until which ever comes first: work or lunch time.
Maybe I might even learn to eat breakfast like the rest of the world lol.
I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mineUp those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yardI thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built meMama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dreamI thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built meYou leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I amI thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built meThe House That Built Me—Miranda Lambert
Although I have to admit, I’ve always feared in the long run, that I’d rather strike a match.
Lately things have just been insane, practically busy up to my eye balls. There’s always loads to get done, whether it’s pushed on my stack, or it’s something I would rather like to get done. The past week, I would say represents a new level of heavy multi-pronged focus on other matters, but that’s a truckload in of itself.
I wish someday, it would actually be possible to get some rest :-/ For some reason the concept of time to rest, brings forth a vision of a pine box… lol
One paramount factor, is my mind constantly processes and evaluates multiple “Atoms” of data, for lack of a better word. Near simultaneously crunching away at relevant atoms, both processing new ones and refactoring existing ones in light of continued thinking, and supplementary atoms.
I don’t know how to explain it, without phrasing it much like a computer copes with multi-processing, or a significantly greater understanding of cognitive science then I possess, and I’m a programmer at heart, not a neurologist. If I knew someone with that kind of knowledge, I would probably ask whether the brains ability to handle things in parallel is built into our physiology, or just a learned ‘trick’ like multitasking on a uniprocessor system. (Ok, everyone’s asleep while my geeky brain drifts off, hehe.)
I refer to titbits of data as an “Atom”, because it is the most fitting word. While not to be confused with the meaning of atoms as understood in chemistry or physics, so much that cutting chunks of data into still smaller scalaresque elements would serve little purpose. The word stimuli might be more appropriate but hey, I’m not an English teacher.
Input sources for these so called atoms of data, can be virtually anything; ranging from what’s under ones nose, to past experiences, or established references. In thinking, my mind processes enormous amounts of data, proportionate of course, to the amount of data I may gather! Every atom is constantly evaluated, weighted in the context of it’s value and studied from a probabilistic perspective.
Over the course of my life, I’ve learned to be quite adapt at the gathering of information, in any topic or subject that I choose to pursue suitably. More then a few times, I’ve astounded people by quickly gathering an input set, and coming to a conclusion based on that data, in fairly short order compared to most of my peers. The ability to search for information should never be overrated, and controlling access to information can be crucial to manipulating an enemies reaction, but denying it and permitting its dissemination. That of course being said, I believe strongly in the freedom of information Growing up next to a set of mouldy encyclopaedias and a dusty double volume of Funk & Wagnails dictionary, it wasn’t very long after I learned how to read (well), that I would start learning how to gather and process resources of information efficiently. Libraries, technical manuals, even consulting more learned individuals than myself. Perhaps I should also be eternally grateful to Mage, for introducing me to a search engine that doesn’t suck! After gaining a measure of internet access around 1996-1997, I had found little use for the web beyond answering the quest for intel on any given topic of interest. That being said, I never came to make positive use of the Internet until closer to 2000.
Once I have information, I process it thoroughly, both in context and at many instances, off the wall as well. As I said previously, everything is weighted (it is also mentally tagged), helping me gauge the importance of any given atom towards arriving at a workable conclusion. Based on what I know, I also apply ample consideration for the likely hood of any meaning that may be possible. In terms of what may be possible, or the so called sample space, is something often run together in my head, and computed there as well, rather then done straight using numbers. Should we say, my mind operates on a level where the most relevant atoms are not necessarily easy to express as a number, yet may be readily thought of as if it were. Earlier this week, I told a friend that between 0 and 1, my grasp of the possibilities for most things I think at, often has the capacity to go beyond what the number of digits an average persons calculator can express to the right of a decimal point. The depth of my thoughts can often be compared to a typical person taking twenty years cracking at it… lol. Ok, so I think a freaking lot.
In building away at what I know, in order to put it to some applicable use, my reasoning is fairly varied, an art form if you will. I combine what may be inferred with what one may wager, and fairly carefully gauge the potential follow ons. Using both what I know and an an increasing understanding of what I don’t know, to arrive at the end of the line. One of my favourite jokes, goes something like this:
An astronomer, a physicist and a mathematician are on a train in Scotland. The astronomer looks out of the window, sees a black sheep standing in a field, and remarks, “How odd. Scottish sheep are black.” “No, no, no!” says the physicist. “Only some Scottish sheep are black.” The mathematician rolls his eyes at his companions’ muddled thinking and says, “In Scotland, there is at least one sheep, at least one side of which looks black.”
You must always check your facts ^_^.
Most things I think about in depth, do not require very precise processing (someone I know, might call it a lack of rigour), only a disciplined and orderly analysis of atoms. Experience as a programmer as well as much time spent labouring over questions of “How does sth work”, has thought me much of that. Organised thinking is a very valuable asset, to any reasonable individual.
It can never be said enough however, that the sources of atoms most also be evaluated as much as the atoms themselves (fellow coders might call this a form of mental taint checking). Sources are important, check and discriminate them! One can learn much from a study of historiography, if the words primary source and secondary source mean nothing, you should probably repeat part of school… and try not to sleep through it this time 😛 (that or have your old history teacher fired). Many people who berate resources such as Wikipedia, often need to learn the value of checking multiple sources, and strongly taint checking the atoms that go through your brain.
When dealing with matters of intelligence6, it is even more important to consider the validity of ones sources, and it’s meaning. Perhaps the best examples of this, would involve a game of poker or a peek at a handful of agencies, but hey, go learn it yourself. I am very objective of the information I process, as well as in that which I promulgate. Some of the more shadowy figures who follow my journal every now and then, will no doubt have comprehended that, if they themselves possess any understanding of intelligence analysis.
In the course of my life, I’ve found digging into solid sources as well as concise overviews of any subject matter, also to be a worth while pair. I have never allowed anyone or anything to influence my opinion, so much as I search for and study the factual data, and what may be proven through it; and despite the marbles that sometimes rattle too and fro, my mind does not settle lightly without good reason.
Earlier I noted that all of this stuff, occurs fairly simultaneously. At any given time, my brain normally follows about 2 1/2 to 3 trains of thought, and regularly the impacts of mental operations upon one atom, will affect dozens of other atoms, not always related ones either for that matter. (I love phrasing things like that :-P.) Being able to follow trains of logic and reason while gathering more data, and to do so concurrently is inherently a valuable skill to learn. Perhaps I owe this one, to having to often (ab)use my computers capabilities at multi-tasking whenever I’m around, and thus my mind had to adapt to take advantage of it.
Practical experience in a matter, as well as taking into account evaluations from others also plays a roll in things. One interesting example, SAS has placed me so many times into planning and leading missions, I often have the perspicacity to tell when something appears sound coming from a younger Element Leader, but is really a load of marlarky. Such usually becomes obvious under scrutiny. Ones experiences however, can not override all other considerations, after all, just because you’ve never seen a winged horse in the sky, does not rule out the possibility that such a creature could [have] exist[ed] somewhere in the universe.
Poor it all in a mythical brew, and you have an interesting if verbose summery, expressing parallel application of deductive and inductive reasoning, contextual evaluation, systematic thinking, respect for probability, taint checking, experience, and more then a few techniques for analysis that I care not to mention publically. Growing tired, perhaps it might just be more succinct to explain my mental processes as a form of a deep magic that describes my minds fundamental functioning. Some other people still work on the spaghetti theory.
Oh wells :-/
Just got through watching Angels & Demons, basically filmed as a sequel to the The Da Vinci Code, which was actually the second book written. On the positive side, that means if you missed (or skipped) watching the code, you won’t have trouble following this film in the least.
It carries that rapid pace, oft’ times so difficult to achieve in writing, while creating a very thrilling mystery you just can’t help but watch. The ending is also one that (ofc) shakes the Vatican to its core, and as anyone whose ever watched some Star Trek is likely to recall, what happens when matter makes contact with antimatter is explosive stuff ^_^.
The only thing I can complain about, is that the film gives away the ending well in advance… if you are keen enough to be paying close attention in the first place. A bit of knowledge about psychology, as it impacts the kind of stuff we do over in SAS, also helps a sharp mind to combine inductive and deductive thinking, to narrow the possibilities down quite considerably. That being said, if you didn’t pay close attention, you might be shocked silly at the finale!
Hey, I’m a geek, my attention span has moments of hyper-focus on minute details all day long. Gotta love programming :-P.
Ugh, it’s been a long and unpleasant day! Never the less, I’ve almost got the MSVC builds sorted to where I want them. Basically why unix builds are shared libraries and windows builds are static libraries, has to do with the respective linkers.
At least on FreeBSD i386, the (GNU) linker doesn’t complain about the common and sys modules referencing one another, you could say it has more of a view that the shared lib is a chunk of code and all is fine as long as it all resolves enough in the end. I generally prefer dynamic linking over static, although I have nothing against static libraries internal to a project; when it comes to Windows however, I’m particularly found of Microsoft’s SxS technology.
While the GNU stuff on my laptop is hapy enough to obey, the link tool provided by MSVC however, won’t cooperate with that model of behaviour for shared libs (DLLs), only static libraries. Other then the increasingly becoming stuff that belongs together, the common and sys modules were merged into a single ‘core’ module, and tonight, prepped to better handle compiler specifics as well. Secondary is that, simply put link makes shared libraries a bit more typing then need be. Every other sane OS/Compiler pair I’ve encountered, has the lovely habit of assuming that you wrote a function in a library, and might want to share it with other programs. Visual C++ on the other hand, presents several ways of doing it: that all basically amount to telling the linker which things an application may slurp up from it. Basically resorting to writing a “.def” file, or in wrapping up function definitions with a __declspec(export) attributes, and the correct __declspec(export) or __declspec(import) attributes at their declarations.
Microsoft’s way of doing things is more flexible, but one might fairly argue that the inverse behavour (e.g. export anything not specially marked) would have been better.
Generally I like MSVC, I think it’s better then GCC, if you are willing to put up with the major lack of C99 compliance and lack of stdint.h (I use one written by Paul Hsieh). The main downside is the tools tend to be a bit, eh, stupider then GNU brew, and the best parts of the system are like wise fairly specific to both MSVC and Windows NT. Personally I would enjoy a professional edition of the MS’s offerings, because it would net access to their 64-bit C/C++ compiler and much stronger profiling tools, that are simply missing from the express editions.
The sad part, is that Visual Studio is the only software package I have seen Microsoft release in my entire life that, that’s worth buying…. lol. Not even their operating systems can say that much, from where I sit.
Debugger Tips: 8 ways breakpoints can save your next software project: “Here are eight fairly simple techniques for using breakpoints and other features of your C/C++ debugger that can give you enormous power and visibility into your program.
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An interesting article that’s worth the reading, for anyone who is ever going to get stuck running a debugger. Personally, I prefer log files and analyzing the code in my brain, but when it’s a task you can’t cram up there in grey matter, or you need to cuddle up to the run time—a good debugger is your best friend.