The Ideal Copy

tsclient for Fedora 15

2011-10-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

(from the RPM department)

Hi everyone,

As most folks know, I do like to dabble in Linux. Lately, I've been trying Fedora 15 on a virtual machine - just to see what a cutting edge Linux is like.

One thing I miss from previous versions of Fedora is the old rdesktop GUI front-end called tsclient. That package has been deprecated in favor of newer RDP clients. But - I miss it anyway.

Well - I was able to take the SRPM for tsclient from Fedora 13, and add patches to get it to build in Fedora 15.

(Side note: Normally, I run Yellow Dog Linux on my PS3.)

I don't think this will build on YDL per se - since it's based on RedHat Enterprise Linux - but the patch system is interesting. You basically unpack the SRPM, add your patches in the form of diff files to the SOURCE directory, edit the spec file to include them, and re-package and re-build the RPM and SRPM.

No muss - no fuss.

Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't allow me to add attachments, so I've posted the files on the Yellow Dog board: tsclient for Fedora 15

Cheers,
Paul

Rose, the artist

2011-10-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

(from the I am an Artiste department)

Hi everyone,

We went out to brunch today at The Cheeky Cafe. (Highly Recommended!!)

As per usual, Rose got a children's menu and some crayons. She proceded to go to town on the menu, and insisted that we give it to the restaurant to put it on the walls.

The restaurant happily obliged:

Rose was beside herself with glee:

(Rose's drawing is the one with a lot of purple!)

The cool part is that we actually got two menus - and Rose drew on both. So - we had some art to take home as well!

Cheers,
Paul

Pumpkin Hunting - somewhere near Snohomish, WA - Friday, October 21st, 2011

2011-10-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

(from the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown department)

Hi everyone,

Today, Dana, Rose and I braved the mud and rain to head out to a farm and pick a pumpkin!

We went to The Farm at Swan's Trail in Snohomish, WA. Incredibly well run - very family friendly - and great for children of all ages. We got to see a duck race, pet some barnyard animals, ride on a hay bale cart pulled by a tractor, and wander around a big field looking for a pumpkin.

Soon - Rose had found what she was looking for:

This was an event sponsored by our pre-school; King Street Co-Op. It was nice to go in a group instead of just by ourselves - farms are more fun with a bunch of people - and the kids were great.

Rose finished the day with ice cream - an orange creamsicle - which she ate instantly. She apparently doesn't mind the wind and rain when ice cream is involved.

Cheers,
Paul

A Note To Daddy From Rose

2011-08-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

(from the I can't make this up department)

Here is a note from Rose to me as transcribed by Dana. I present the entire text verbatim, without any editing whatsoever.

Dear Daddy,

Please be careful. Please be safe and I like you. Every time you have to be careful with my jewelry and with my Merry Go Round and you get a prize.

Don't be angry unless you're the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy is angry because he wants to keep all of his teeth.

I really like getting milkshakes with you. I like him playing my Princess video game and my Lightning McQueen video game.

Daddy loves me very much. I love Daddy's very much too because I love him.

I love you, Rose. Thank you for the letter - it made my day!

Cheers,
Paul

Butterfly Rose

2011-08-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

(from the All You Need Are Wings department)

Hi everyone,

This is just a quick photo of Rose that Dana took. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

Camping at Scenic Beach State Park - July 28th to July 31st, 2011

2011-08-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

(from the Camping with Toddlers department)

Hi everyone,

Well - we had our first family camping trip last weekend. Our pre-school - King Street Cooperative Preschool - organized a camping trip to Scenic Beach State Park. We didn't have any camping gear, but we were able to borrow a tent, propane stove and air-mattress, so we ended up camping in style!

We were pretty busy running after toddlers, but I did manage to snap a couple of photos. In the first photo, that's Rose on the far right.

By the way - that was one big starfish!!

UPDATE: Dana just sent me the photos she took. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

Steely Dan "Shuffle Diplomacy Tour 2011" July 2nd, 2011 Seattle

2011-07-12T16:10:00.001-07:00

(from the Reelin' in the Years department)

Hi everyone,

I saw Steely Dan July 2nd at the WaMu theater in Seattle at the kickoff of their "Shuffle Diplomacy Tour 2011". They played a great set - nearly 2 hours of songs!

Here's the song titles I wrote down on my smartphone:

Intro
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Green Earrings
Everything Must Go
Night By Night
Time Out Of Mind
Godwhacker
Show Biz Kids
(You Got) The Bear (Aja outtake)
Dirty Work
Neighbor's Daughter (Band Intro)
Do It Again
Josie
Peg
Reelin' In The Years
Bodhisattva
-- Encore Break --
Kid Charlemagne
Outro

Setlist notes:

The Intro and the Outro were the band - nicknamed the Miles High Big Band - playing without Donald & Walter and the backup singers. (The backup singers had their own nickname - The Embassy Brats.)

I'm not sure of the name of the songs that were played for the Intro and the Outro - they were instrumentals. According to one setlist they were Dizzy's Bidness and Last Tango In Paris, respectively.

(You Got) The Bear and Neighbor's Daughter are tracks that haven't been officially released - the titles are my best guess looking on the Internet and some of the Steely Dan databases. It's my recollection that Donald said The Bear was an Aja outtake. One setlist mentioned that Neighbor's Daughter is a Lee Dorsey cover.

Your Gold Teeth is the first version on Countdown To Ecstasy, not the "sequel" on Katy Lied.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. I also got this cool coffee mug:

Merry Christmas from Santa and Rose (Part 4)

2011-07-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

(from the Christmas in July department)

Hi everyone,

It occurs to me that I never posted the 2010 Family Christmas photo. Well - here it is!

For this one, we figured that Rose wouldn't pose unless we were in it, so I did have a (small) chance to get ready for the photo.

Happy (Belated) Holidays Everyone - from Paul, Dana, Rose, and Santa

Cheers,
Paul

Look - it's the Future! (or at least June 21, 2011)

2011-06-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

(from the Century 21 Exposition department)

Hi everyone,

Just a quick photo I took during a sunny day in Seattle. (Yes - they do happen):

That's the Space Needle as seen through Fisher Plaza, headquarters of KOMO TV. Looks like the Future, doesn't it?

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. Looking at old photos of the Space Needle, I found this quote. I offer no additional comment:

The length of the monorail is a mere 1.2 miles long, but plans are already being discussed to extend the track all the way to Sea-Tac Airport. Since the Monorail can achieve speeds of up to 70 miles an hour, it's likely that gridlock and traffic jams will be a distant memory by the year 2001.

Dana's Birthday dinner at Palisade - May 17, 2011

2011-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

(from the Happy Birthday to You department)

Hi everyone,

For Dana's birthday, we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants - Palisade. This place is very cool. Every table has a view of Elliot Bay - and there's even a salt-water fixture in the middle of the restaurant with live fish and sea-life.

BTW - the hostess gave us some food to feed the fish. Best kid toy ever! When Rose got a little bored - which is normal for a 3 year old - we fed the fish.

Anyway - as dinner wound down - Rose asked if I would take her picture with Mommy. Thinking that this would be a cute, Mother/Daughter photo, I lined up the shot. This is what I got:

Yup - that's my kid alright. I finally did get Rose to pose a little - but she wouldn't look at the camera:

However - this next video made up for it. When they brought Dana a little birthday dessert, Rose started to sing her own version of Happy Birthday:

Of course, she whispered the whole song. Still - it was a special moment.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose & Dana At Richmond Beach Saltwater Park - May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

(from the Life's a Beach department)

Hi everyone,

On May 1st, Dana, Rose & I headed out to Richmond Beach Saltwater Park. This is a nice park just a bit north of Seattle in the Shoreline district.

Rose was really having fun playing in the sand. I don't have video of it, but I kind of have a time lapse set of photos:

Cheers,
Paul

A Fairy Godmother at Sakura-con - April 23, 2011

2011-04-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

(from the アニメが好きです department)

Hi everyone,

Dana, Rose & I went to Sakura-con (http://www.sakuracon.org/) this year. We didn't cosplay, but Rose did:

When we asked her what her costume was, she said "Fairy Godmother". That's not really anime - but it should be. Here Rose "decorates" me - while dancing:

Another Rose dancing video, plus more "decoration" and I get turned into a robot. This one is in HD:

All of these were taken on April 23, 2011.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose in a Mini Cooper

2011-03-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

(from the Original Mini Cooper department)

Hi everyone,

On Saturday, March 5th, 2011, Dana, Rose & I were at the Safeway up near Roosevelt and 75th in Seattle. Walking back to the car, we stumbled across a mini Mini Cooper get together.

Rose & I went to investigate:

Rose was facinated by the original Mini Coopers on display. One of the owners noticed her and asked if she'd like to sit behind the wheel.

Of course she would - they're Rose sized after all!

Rose had a lot of fun! Special thanks to the members of the Seattle Area Mini Owners Association (aka SAMOA) and the owner of the Mini that let Rose have a drive!

Cheers,
Paul

National Pancake Day - March 1st, 2011

2011-03-02T13:47:00.001-08:00

(from the It's better with Strawberry Syrup department)

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was National Pancake Day! Rose and I braved the crowds and headed down to IHOP to get our free pancakes!

Rose is ready:

but not quite sure where to begin:

The pancakes were very tasty! And - although the place was crazy busy - we didn't wait too long at all. Kudos to the staff of the Capitol Hill IHOP in Seattle - we had a great time.

IHOP does this each year to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The pancakes are free, but they ask that you'd consider a donation in return. When we left, the Capitol Hill IHOP was about $70.00 from their goal - and they still had several hours to go. I hope they made it!

The history is interesting:

Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP has raised more than $5.35 million to support charities in the communities in which it operates. While IHOP's National Pancake Day typically takes place on Shrove Tuesday, this year, the company will host its free pancake event one week earlier on Tuesday, March 1 to build buzz and excitement prior to Shrove Tuesday. With your help, we hope to raise $2.3 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities!

Known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products...hence the name Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday

You can read more about it here:
IHOP National Pancake Day - March 1, 2011
and here:
IHOP National Pancake Day - March 1, 2011 - Pancake Day Details
which is where I got the above quote.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose is wise beyond her years

2011-02-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

(from the Sophocles was a kid once, too department)

Hi everyone,

We had a classic Rose moment this morning. I was in a super hurry, trying to get out the door to head to work. Almost simultaneously, I had a fan fail on my main server, lost my checkbook, and had to make the morning coffee.

Running around at full speed in the living room, I finally exclaimed: "I am never getting out of this house!!!"

I then heard a small voice from the couch: "There's a door - over there - in the middle."

I think Dana must have laughed for a full minute or so.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Rose Pietromonaco, the wise voice of reason. Thank you, Rosie.

Cheers,
Paul

Golden Harmonicas!

2011-02-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

(from the TV's Craig Ferguson department)

So - I'm an avid fan of The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. It took a little while to find its footing, and it doesn't always work, but when it does, there's nothing like it on television.

One of the things he does is have guests play harmonica to exit their segment. The fun of the exit is that, normally, nobody knows anything about the harmonica, and hilarity ensues, etc.

But - every once in a while, somebody does know how to play. When this happens, Craig gifts them the "golden harmonica".

So far - we've had two:

Billy Connolly - actor, comedian, legend
David Pogue - tech blogger NY times

Well - Friday night we got a third. A physics blogger, Jennifer Ouellette. Congrats to all!

Cheers,

Paul

Who can turn the world on with her smile?

2011-01-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

(from the Mary Tyler Moore department)

Hi everyone,

Just some quick photos of the joy that is Rose:

These were taken at a local restaurant called "St. Clouds" - well worth a trip if you're ever in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose finds the North Pole

2011-01-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

(from the Trip to the North Pole department)

Hi everyone,

It snowed in Winston-Salem, NC on Christmas Day (Dec. 25th), 2010. We went out the next day to play in the snow, and I recorded this video of Rose journeying to the North Pole.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

Zoe

2010-11-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Some very, very sad news today, I'm afraid. Our beloved cat, Zoe, passed away in our arms last night. Her health had been declining since she'd had emergency surgery and then a subsequent stroke. We think she may have had another stroke, but this time, didn't survive it.

She was a friendly cat, with a great sense of curiosity and a very regal bearing. To illustrate, here's a cell phone clip of her looking around a vet's office.

She'd started out as a feral cat, and as a result, always kept her claws at full sharpness, much to the chagrin of our couches. Although smaller than our other cat, Jelli, she let him know exactly who was the boss, and would not put up with his attempts to become alpha cat.

Dana wrote an elegant eulogy for Zoe. I'll quote it in full here:

Zoe passed away just before midnight on Saturday, 11/20/2010. I’ve taken care of her since October or November of 1997, and known her for two years prior to that, when she (pregnant) followed me in to Andy’s house in Greensboro, NC. When Andy needed a place to stay in Nov. ’97, he moved in with me and brought Zoe. When he left, I kept Zoe. Her full name is Zoetrope Sugarsmack Rose Kepple Pietromonaco. She had lost massive amounts of weight and fur, and had become very frail.

I’m so glad her last few moments went quickly. I’d just seen her 15 minutes before and she was fine, and then Paul passed by her and heard her wheezing between long pauses. I held her, then Paul held her, and then he passed her back to me. She took a breath, shuddered, and relaxed, stretching her paws out just a little, as if getting comfortable for a good sleep. And that was it. We said our goodbyes, had Jelly touch her paw and see her without life in my arms. We then woke Rose and told her Zoe was having to go away and she should say goodbye, because Zoe wouldn’t be coming back. Rose woke up just a little, enough to put her hand on Zoe and say goodbye. I doubt she’ll remember that moment, but perhaps, if there was any thought left, Zoe heard it, and maybe Rose will internalize it somewhere deep down to know she was able to say goodbye to her kitty.

D

I'll add one more story. This morning, I was looking for these pictures of Zoe:

Rose toddled in to my office, and when she saw them on my screen, she said, simply: "That's Zoe. She's my friend."

She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

-Paul

Cupcake at Halloween

2010-11-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

(from the A cupcake a day keeps the doctor away department)

Hi everyone,

Here's a video of Rose enjoying a well deserved cupcake. She's dressed in her "fairy princess godmother" for Halloween. We're at the University Village shopping center, during their Halloween celebration. Every Halloween, the merchants sponsor a trick-or-treat for kids. It's fun, but it's crazy busy with kids running around in costumes. Hence, the cupcake break.

This was shot 31-Oct-2010.

Cheers,
Paul

Blowing Bubbles at Sunset Beach

2010-11-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

(from the Always Blowing Bubbles department)

Hi everyone,

Here's Rose and her uncle Nick sharing a moment blowing bubbles at Sunset Beach, NC. This was shot on September 2nd, 2010.

Doesn't Rose look like she should be in an old Shirley Temple movie? I think it's the sailor hat. We found that at a gift shop at Sunset Beach and she loved it. If we'd had her tap shoes with us, I think we could have starting filming a musical!

Cheers,

Paul

Surf's Up!!! Hurricane Earl passes by Sunset Beach, NC

2010-09-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

(from the My Name Is (Hurricane) Earl department)

Hi everyone,

Shot some video this afternoon as Hurricane Earl passed by the coast. There was no danger here - Earl was far offshore - but the sea was definitely stirred up, and the surf was larger than usual.

UPDATE: It occurs to me that it might be useful to see what the normal surf looks like. Here's a video I took a few days ago on 30-Aug-2010.

Cheers,
Paul

The Ferryboat - A Ballet By Rose Pietromonaco

2010-08-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

(from the Pirouette department)

Hi everyone,

This is a quick blog post of a video I found of Rose ballet dancing on the deck of a ferryboat. No deep meaning to it or anything - just some happy dancing. I think this was taken around May 31st or so:

Cheers,
Paul

Five reasons why GS/OS beats Vista and OS X

2010-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

(from the Sherman - set the wayback machine to 1987 department)

Saw this blog post, and had to share it with everyone:

Five reasons why GS/OS beats Vista and OS X

This made me smile - especially since I've still got an Apple IIgs around here somewhere...

Cheers,

Paul

Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

2010-06-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

(from the What? No US release? department)

Hi everyone,

As my family knows, I'm a huge fan of the Fatal Frame series of video games. I have all three of the games - Fatal Frame, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame III: The Tormented.

So - when I heard that a fourth game was coming out for the PS3, I was, as they say "stoked".

Then it was announced that the game was going to be Wii only.

Bummer.

Then I didn't hear anything about it for a long time.

Well, doing an unrelated search today, I found out what happened to it.

It turns out that the game has already been released in Japan. And - there are no plans for a U.S. version.

Major Bummer.

Here's the article that tells why there's no US release:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/970/970875p1.html

At least there's a Wikipedia page describing it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_Frame_IV:_Mask_of_the_Lunar_Eclipse

Looks like I would have enjoyed it!

Cheers,
Paul

Imogen Heap in concert - June 14, 2010 - Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA

2010-06-15T00:19:00.000-07:00

(from the Hide and Seek department)

Hi everyone,

Just got out of the Imogen Heap concert at the Paramount in Seattle. Great show! She had three opening acts - two bands were comprised of members of her touring band, plus a group of people she'd auditioned especially in Seattle for an a cappella number.

So - here's the setlist:

The Walk
Swoon
Come Here Boy
Wait It Out
First Train Home
Little Bird
The Fire/Canvas
Breathe In (Frou Frou!)
Earth
(Seattle Improv)
Bad Body Double
Speeding Cars
Let Go (Frou Frou again!)
Just For Now
Clear The Area
Goodnight And Go
Headlock
(non-encore encore)
Tidal
The Moment I Said It
Hide And Seek

She said that 12 of the songs were from an online poll, including #15, which was unique. Just For Now was a crowd sing-a-long, dividing the audience into three sections. Earth featured a Seattle a cappella group, Sintonia, that had formed just for the show, and were also the first opening act.

The other opening acts were Geese, who were the two violinists in her touring band + the drummer, and Ben Christophers, who was her guitarist. Imogen introduced each act. The whole opening sets took about an hour, give or take. (7:38 - 8:46). Imogen went on at 9:10 or so - ended at 11:30.

Seattle Improv is a song she wrote on the spot, based on audience suggestions.

Yes - she played a couple of Frou Frou songs, which I wasn't expecting.

She mentioned that one song was about her professor, and that she told that story one night - and was mortified to discover he was in the audience that night.

Started First Train Home by playing two wine glasses (w/lemon) wearing wrist microphones. Said that's the first sound you hear on Ellipse.

(Okay - I'm tired so I'm going to have to edit this post more tomorrow)

Cheers,
Paul

Jay Berry's - Memorial Day Weekend 2010 - Saturday, May 29th

2010-06-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

(from the It's always better with spaghetti department)

Hi everyone,

We had a family get together last Memorial Day weekend. At the end of the meal, Rose climbed up on Grandma's lap, and I shot the following video:

Yes - Granddaughters are cute!

Cheers,

Paul

Rose Rides A Truck - April 17th, 2010

2010-04-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

(from the Do The Puyallup department)

Hi everyone,

Here's another video upload from my new Vado pocket camcorder. It's Rose on a carnival ride at the Puyallup Spring Fair - riding for the first time by herself!

There would have been more, but my camera battery died. She had a great time, and only freaked out a little when I switched positions, and she couldn't see me. But - she wasn't scared of the ride at all.

Cheers,

Paul

Trip To Vashon Island - March 27, 2010

2010-04-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

(from the Get Away To The Islands department)

Hi everyone,

Here's some videos from my new Vado pocket camcorder. This documents a trip we took in March to Vashon Island to visit the Farmer's Market and see the sights.

First, we rode the ferry from West Seattle:

Next, we looked around the Farmer's Market and found some wind chimes:

Then, we ran around the park next to the Market:

We had brunch at the Hardware Store, then we drove around the island, looking at stuff. We bought some local coffee, then ended up at a boat launch at Quartermaster Harbor:

and:

Then, we caught the ferry and went home. What a fun day!!!

Cheers,

Paul

National Pancake Day!

2010-02-24T10:19:00.001-08:00

(from the Maple Syrup For All! department)

Hi everyone,

Last night was National Pancake Day. IHOP was giving away a free stack of buttermilk pancakes to every customer to encourage everyone to donate to the Children's Miracle Network.

So - Rose & I went down to our local IHOP and got pancakes last night. She seemed to really like them - but was somewhat concerned about the size of the stack:

Cute, huh?

It was a crazy madhouse, but it was also fun. Let's hope they had some success last night and raised some much needed funds.

You can read more about it here:
IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

Cheers,
Paul

Finally!!!! Ruby Gloom On DVD!!!!

2010-02-01T03:15:00.001-08:00

(from the I Was Beginning To Wonder If It Would Ever Happen department)

Hi everyone,

As longtime readers of my blog might remember, way back in 2007, I wrote about an imminent release of Ruby Gloom on DVD in February 2008.

Well - I was only off by a year or so.

Two DVDs of Ruby Gloom are currently available from Amazon.ca: Grounded In Gloomsville and Misery Loves Company. These were released in March 2009.

There was a third title announced - Pet Population - but it appears to have been pulled at the last moment. Its original release date was June 2009.

I do have the two released discs, and they are great. 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes.

Each disc contains four episodes. The first disc - Grounded In Gloomsville - has the first four episodes in order. The second disc has a more random selection of 4 episodes.

If you liked Beetlejuice (animated), Powerpuff Girls, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Pinky And The Brain, and/or Tim Burton movies, you'll dig these. The animated Beetlejuice is probably the closest match - Nelvana animated both Ruby Gloom and Beetlejuice.

Until this show gets released in the United States - whispers hint hint Nickelodeon - this is the best way to see them.

Cheers,
Paul

"Look on the bright side of the dark side"

Rose Meets The President

2010-01-22T00:28:00.000-08:00

(from the Looking through my photo collection department)

Hi everyone,

I found a photo that one of my co-workers, Patty, took last year - probably around 20-Jan-2009. Cute, huh?

Cheers,

Paul

Letterman weighs in on the Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien Tonight Show situation

2010-01-13T00:06:00.001-08:00

(from the He Was There, Baby! department)

Hi everyone,

Here's David Letterman's take on the situation:

It's cool to hear David's take on the situation. He has a unique perspective on the whole thing, since he started at NBC and probably knows some of the players involved.

And - it wouldn't be Letterman if he didn't poke a little fun:

Cheers,
Paul

Merry Christmas from Santa and Rose!!! (Parts 2 & 3)

2009-12-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

(from the Happy Holidays department)

Hi everyone,

Just got our Santa photo back. Here it is for 2009:

Dana and I weren't planning on being in this one - but, for the first time, Rose was too scared of Santa to sit on his lap unless we were all there. Look at how pensive she looks!

We managed to get her to pose last year by herself. I realized I'd never posted that one, so here it is - Santa 2008:

Happy Holidays Everyone - from Paul, Dana, Rose & Santa!

Cheers,
Paul

Having trouble watching my embedded videos?

2009-12-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

(from the I Love Computers department)

Hi everyone,

My laptop has been having issues playing the embedded videos from NBC that I post here on my blog. I have done some sleuthing, and discovered it is due to the copy of Norton Internet Security (2005) I've installed.

Here's the fix:

Go to the Norton Internet Security control panel.
In the Norton Internet Security Section, in the Status & Settings subsection, select Privacy Control and click Configure
In the resultant Privacy Control dialog box, click the Advanced button
In the resultant Advanced dialog box, click Add Site
In the resultant New Site/Domain dialog box, add nbc.com and click OK
Highlight nbc.com in the Web Contents Options tree of the Advanced dialog box, and uncheck the Use default settings check box in the Information about visited sites section.
After the box is unchecked, the Information about visited sites radio buttons should be selectable. Select the Permit radio button, and click OK to close the Advanced dialog box.
Click OK to close the Privacy Control dialog box.
Close the Norton Internet Security control panel.
Have fun viewing the NBC.com embedded videos on this blog

Cheers,
Paul

Jawbox on Fallon!!!!!

2009-12-09T01:50:00.000-08:00

(from the Jimmy Fallon Did A Good Thing department)

Hi everyone

I'm almost crying - I admit it. Jawbox was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night - 8-Dec-2009. I never thought I'd ever see or hear these guys again. I saw them just once - right before they broke up - at the Miller Community Center, Seattle, WA - 24-July-1996.

Apparently - this is it, too. Just this one performance - no reunion, no new album - nothing else. They're making this one-off appearance in honor of the (long overdue) re-release/re-master of "For Your Own Special Sweetheart".

I'm too emotional to talk about it right now. Just posting the clips.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. More info is on their own DeSoto records website: http://www.desotorecords.com/news/index.shtml

Savory - from the on-air performance:

68 - from the rehearsal:

FF=66 - from the rehearsal:

Quick review - Pixies at the Paramount, Seattle - 12-Nov-2009

2009-11-18T01:50:00.000-08:00

(From the Rock A My Soul department)

Hi everyone,

I've been extremely busy lately, so I haven't had a chance to see too many bands live. However - I did manage to catch one of the Pixies "Doolittle" shows.

Basically - it's the 20th anniversary of the album Doolittle. (Has it been that long? Sheesh!) So - they're doing a small tour playing the entire album - in order. The only other songs in the show are the b-sides from Doolittle. (More on that in a sec.)

So - yeah - it did rock. There's a couple of songs on there that, back in the day, they rarely played - plus one - Silver - that they never played at all.

They started out with a few b-sides to warm up. Namely: Dancing The Manta Ray, Weird At My School, Bailey's Walk & Manta Ray.

Then - Doolittle. Complete.

Odd pacing for a rock show, really. One normally expects a few hits, then an unknown song or two, then more hits. But - all of these songs are already known! So, you get the album pacing. Which isn't necessarily the best in a concert hall - but this worked for me.

(In case you've forgotten: Debaser, Tame, Wave Of Mutilation, I Bleed, Here Comes Your Man, Dead, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Mr. Grieves, Crackity Jones, La La Love You, No. 13 Baby, There Goes My Gun, Hey, Silver and Gouge Away)

A note here about the visuals. They started out with the short film "Un chien andalou" - this is the inspiration for Debaser, so it makes sense here. Then, they kept the lighting and visuals appropriate, but more complex than I usually associate with the Pixies. Artful video projections and good lighting for a change. That was welcome for me - it's about time they had some support on tour this way. One of the highlights was a video projection of them - while they were on stage looking at themselves. Very cool.

First encore was the remaining b-sides: Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf) and Into The White. Into The White was an extended "freak out" version with tons of white smoke. (Get it? ^_^)

Then, we got a second encore. Since they were out of b-sides, this meant we got a few classics: Caribou, Vamos and Gigantic. Vamos was particularly extended with a Joey Santiago guitar solo. Since it was Joey, it wasn't a "classic guitar rawk moment". Instead, there was a lot of creative guitar playing - like using the guitar pickup switch as a percussion sound, and a short segment with a tossed drumstick.

The second encore was performed with the house lights up - this meant there was no expectations that the band would stick around after that. A good way to end.

Quick notes: Kim gave a running commentary throughout the show - announcing side changes of the vinyl, etc. I thought it was cute, anyway. ^_^ David & Joey were lively. Frank was in impressive voice throughout - he still screams like nobody's business. However - he didn't say a word to the audience the entire evening.

I did purchase the show - haven't had a chance to download it yet. Looking forward to checking it out now that I'm home, and away from the theater.

Cheers,
Paul

Conan & Andy visit an Anime studio!

2009-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

(from the I wish I could do anime voiceovers department)

This is pretty cool:

Cheers,
Paul

Kotaku's summary of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

2009-07-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

(from the I laughed until it hurt department)

Saw this on Kotaku and had to share it with all of you:

http://kotaku.com/5269159/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children-complete-in-15-minutes

Cheers,
Paul

Tiger Woods - Gamer!

2009-06-26T19:16:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Quick blog post. Saw this in the NY Times - worth a read:
Tiger Woods, Sporadic Gamer

Cheers,
Paul

Saying "farewell" to a part of Sony history....

2009-06-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

(this is adapted from an entry I originally published on the Yellow Dog Linux community forums)

Hi everyone,

Well - it looks like one of PS3 Linux's ancestors is finally calling it a day. Sony is shutting down the PS2 Linux site: http://playstation2-linux.com/forum/forum.php?forum_id=1251

I'm fairly sad to see this go. I contributed many, many PS2 builds of Mozilla, Firefox & Thunderbird to this site. In fact, I attended the Mozilla 1.0 release celebrations, based on my membership there. See here: http://playstation2-linux.com/projects/mozilla-ps2

I learned much about the ways of the Sony from this site. In some ways, what we do with PS3 Linux is based on lessons learned (or unlearned) from PS2 Linux. Much like Yellow Dog Linux, PS2 Linux was also derived from Red Hat Linux, via Kondara Linux. It allowed full access to the PS2's Emotion Engine - including the twin Vector Unit processors. Only the cryptography functions were restricted so that you couldn't copy PS2 games directly.

That website was also the place I met some like-minded PS2 Linux enthusiasts. One of them is now a PS3 Linux moderator with me at the Yellow Dog Linux community forums. We met trying to compile the PS2 version of Firefox with gtk2 and freetype. Good times.

It's worth poking around the site a little bit before they shut it down for good. There's a lot of knowledge locked up in there.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. For those of you who have never seen the PS2 Linux kit - it was quite impressive. It came with a keyboard, mouse, special network adaptor, hard drive, special VGA cable and two DVDs of source code & binary code. Here's the bundle:

Rose - Then & Now

2009-06-16T01:50:00.000-07:00

(from the Cell Phone Cameras Are Fun department)

Hi everyone,

Just cleaning out the ol' Cell Phone, and found these photos of Rose.

First Photo:

This was taken 8/16/08. Rose was about 9 months old at this point.

Second Photo :

This photo was taken 5/25/09. Rose is about 18 months old here.

Cheers,
Paul

Exploring the Cabinets with Rose

2009-05-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

(from the Rose the Adventurer department)

There are things that only an 18 month old can do. Here's one such thing:

Yay! Adventure done!

Another great set of photos from Dana. According to her, Rose insisted on the last photo by pointing the camera at her face.

Cheers,
Paul

A Rock Star?

2009-04-27T11:25:00.001-07:00

(from the No Pictures, please department)

Hi everyone,

Here she is - Rose, the Rock Star! Dana took this picture and it came out perfect.

Cheers,
Paul

Nap time

2009-04-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

(from the Awww.. cute! department)

Hi everyone,

Just a quick pic of Rose napping.

Cheers,
Paul

Sleepless in Seattle

2009-01-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

(from the Death Before Decaf! department)

Hi everyone,

We went to the Athenian Inn for breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 4th. And look - Rose had her first cup of coffee!

That's right honey - now we're all gonna be Sleepless In Seattle!

*groan*

Actually - Rose did not drink any coffee. She has this habit of "lipping" any cup you put in front of her. But - it does look like she's enjoying a fresh cup, doesn't it?

Here's another picture from the Athenian Inn. It's great to have a view like this for breakfast.

Cheers,
Paul

A Rose In Winter

2009-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

(from the Watch out for cuteness department)

Hi everyone,

Quick blog post - here's Dana & Rose in the snow. These photos were taken December 19th or so.

Cheers,
Paul

San Juan Islands - part deux!!

2008-11-17T22:56:00.000-08:00

(from the It was so great - we went again!! department)

Hi everyone,

We took another trip to San Juan Island and Friday Harbor on October 18 - 21, 2008. Here are a few of the photos that we really enjoyed:

Dana and Rose like the beach!!

We saw wild foxes!

Lime Kiln Park was fun!

The view from our hotel was great! We stayed at the Friday Harbor House overlooking the harbor

Rose had a good time exploring the hotel room

Ferry boats!

Yay! Ferry rides are fun!

There's many more of these photos too! More to come!

Cheers,
Paul

More North Carolina photos!

2008-11-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

(from the You can never get enough of a cute family department)

Hi everyone,

More from our NC trip:

"I like to have a bottle of milk while I'm driving my car!"

"Stars are fun too - not to eat - but to point at!"

"Great-grandpas are cool!"

These last two photos were taken on Sunset Beach on the morning Hurricane Hanna hit the coast of North Carolina.

There's still another roll (or is that memory stick?) of NC photos! More soon!

Cheers,
Paul

Rose at the beach! (2nd day)

2008-09-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

(from the Cute Baby In The Water - Redux department)

Hi everyone,

Rose had such a great time at the ocean yesterday that we brought her back again. These pictures were taken Thursday, September 4th, 2008 in the Atlantic surf of North Carolina on the island of Sunset Beach.

Unfortunately, I don't think Rose had as great a time as yesterday. First, she got her first tooth this morning, so she's been a little fussy all day. Next, she developed an instant rash from the sunblock we put on her - you might be able to see it in the last photos. It went away an hour after we washed the sunblock off - and this was baby sunblock, to boot!

But - at least we did manage to get a family photo at the beach.

By the way - that surf back there? That's caused by Tropical Storm Hanna. It's still miles away - but it's headed in this direction. I wonder what this beach will look like after it hits? Don't worry - we'll be long gone before it gets here.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose at the beach! (1st day)

2008-09-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

(from the Cute Baby In The Water department)

Hi everyone,

Well - Rose finally got to meet the ocean. Be prepared for cuteness. These pictures were taken Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008, in the Atlantic surf of North Carolina on the island of Sunset Beach.

She seemed to enjoy herself, I think.

Cheers,
Paul

Steely Dan @ the Chateau St. Michelle winery 30-Jul-2008

2008-07-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

(from the They got the Chevrolet Bodies, they got the Steely Dan T-shirts department)

I saw Steely Dan at the Chateau St. Michelle winery in Woodinville last night. It was a great show - well worth seeing, even if you're not a big fan o' the Dan.

They're playing again tonight and in the interests of comparison, here's the set list they played last night.

Steely Dan setlist @ Chateau St. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA on Wednesday 30-Jul-2008:

1. Instrumental Medley - including parts of the Fez
2. The Royal Scam
3. I Got The News
4. Show Biz Kids
5. Everything You Did
6. Two Against Nature
7. Hey Nineteen
8. Godwhacker
9. New Frontier (from Donald Fagan's The Nightfly)
10. Gaucho (lead vocal Walter Becker)
11. Home At Last
12. Parker's Band
13. Black Friday
14. Josie
15. Aja
16. (not sure)
17. Peg

At this point, I had to head home to get Rose to bed. I'd love to know what the last few songs were.

UPDATE: The last few songs were (thanks Phil!)

Kid Charlemagne
Don't Take Me Alive
FM

Cheers,
Paul

Rose's First Meal!

2008-06-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

(from the What Have I Gotten Myself Into? department)

Hi everyone,

Well - Rose had her first solid food today. We decided to start her on organic Sweet Potatoes - and this is the result:

and - yes - there's video too!

Cheers,
Paul

Executive Baby!

2008-05-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

(from the More fun with Rose department)

Hi everyone,

You wanted it - you got it. Executive baby!

Cheers,
Paul

Neil Young Archives nearing reality!

2008-05-06T18:22:00.001-07:00

(from the Hello Mr. Soul I Stopped By To Pick Up A Reason department)

Well - the long rumored Neil Young Archive project is finally nearing completion. The key? Blu-ray, Java and the PS3.

Here's the on-line article that includes a guided tour by Neil himself. This looks awesome:

http://www.news.com/8301-13953_3-9937142-80.html?tag=nefd.lede

5 or 6 Blu-ray volumes total. Career spanning!

Cheers,

Paul

An Afternoon At The Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival

2008-04-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

(from the Seattle Center department)

Hi everyone,

Dana, Rose & I went to the Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival today, April 20th, 2008.

Of course - there are pics:

A good time was had by all!

Cheers,
Paul

An Afternoon At The Japanese Garden In The Aboretum

2008-04-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

(from the Aboretum department)

Hi everyone,

Quick pics of Rose. These were taken on April 2nd, 2008, at the Aboretum in Seattle, during a weird heat wave in Seattle. It was about 75°F.

Much fun was had by Dana, Rose & myself.

Cheers,
Paul

Laser Cats!!!

2008-04-11T18:13:00.001-07:00

(from the Who will win in a world of... department)

Hi everyone,

No reason for this post - just because I can. So - without further ado - I present: Laser Cats - the complete trilogy!

Enjoy!

Part 1 - Where It All Began:

Part 2 - The Adventure Continues:

Part 3 - The Good, The Bad, and The Laser:

Cheers,
Paul

More April Fools Fun!

2008-04-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

(from the I should have posted this yesterday department)

Hi everyone,

I posted this to the Wire mailing list yesterday for a giggle. Thought I'd share it with you.

NOTE: I edited this just ever so slightly for the blog - there were a couple of typos and a sentence that didn't make it into the released version.

Hi everyone,

Found this news story on Reuters - thought this might interest some of you.
^_^

Cheers,
Paul

-------

Avril Lavigne announces new remix of "Girlfriend" with 70's punk icons Wire

(from Reuters UK)

Avril Lavigne announced today via her MySpace page that she will be releasing a "totally rad" version of her single "Girlfriend" featuring members of the 70's punk group Wire, with all proceeds being donated to charity. Initially, the single will be released via digital distribution through iTunes, with other formats to be announced shortly.

Proceeds from the single will go to a suite of charities including Make Some Noise, Amnesty International, AmericanCPR.org, Camp Will-a-Way, Music Clearing Minefields, U.S. Campaign for Burma, Make-a-Wish Foundation and War Child.

"Really, I'm just thrilled to be working with them. They're like, the best band ever. Plus - don't tell anyone - but their drummer, Robert, is totally hot!" said Ms. Lavigne via her MySpace webpage. (http://www.myspace.com/avrillavigne)

In London, Wire issued the following statement via their PinkFlag website (http://www.pinkflag.com)

"Lately, Wire has been looking to get more involved with modern media and the Internet. As pioneers of modern music, Wire have always been at the cutting edge of pop culture. Reading thru Avril's Facebook page of her favorite artists and charities, Wire realized a golden opportunity presented itself to create a new form of performance art, fusing abstract pop elements and catchy sing along choruses. We plan on calling this 'pouty rock'."

Footwear maker Doc Martens has agreed to underwrite the production costs of the new single, as well as commemorate the event with a new "Avire" 8-eyelet, cherry red boot design. These boots are expected to reach retail outlets in early May in conjunction with the promotional campaign for the single.

Online response has been strangely muted following the announcement, with some fans of both Avril and Wire reacting in shock and disbelief.

Official Wire mailing list "The Ideal Copy" members staged a revolt by literally burning their copies of Wire's latest release "Read & Burn 03". Ms. Lavigne's fans, interviewed via an on-line poll at Hot Topic (http://www.hottopic.com), expressed disbelief as well. This was summarized best by an on-line post by lolcatz83: "...duh...who are these wir3 guys? OMG Avirl is *so* hotz!!!!1!!!!lol"

"Look - the whole thing is just ridiculous. Wire are supposed to be standard bearers of abstract, minimalist music that only appeals to musos," said Miles Goosens, Ideal Copy list maintainer. "I can't believe our heroes would sell out and record that kind of populist crap. Plus - I can't afford those boots. This sucks."

Single copies of the "Girlfriend" remix - now entitled "Girlfriend (No Warning Given)" - will be released to the press tomorrow, with iTunes posting the song for official download within 48 hours.

Good huh? Note how the first letters of the each of the paragraphs in the main section spell out a hidden message.

Cheers,
Paul

My new job!!

2008-04-01T09:17:00.001-07:00

(from the Is the cake a lie? department)

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that I started my new job at Aperture Laboratories today. Since this is a government agency, I can't discuss the project I'll be working on - but it's an exciting chance to redefine the boundaries of light and physics, along with performing interesting Skinnerian operant conditioning chamber experiments.

Space is a little limted, so we have to share cubes. I'm lucky that my cube-mate is actually a real cube - and extremely quiet! Here's a picture of my new friend, the weighted companion cube:

Although I'm legally prevented from discussing details of my employer any further, if you'd like more information about Aperture Laboratories, surf here:

"Aperture Laboratories - A Trusted Friend In Science"

Cheers,
Paul

Rose - The Easter Bunny

2008-03-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

(from the Hippity-Hopping Down The Bunny Trail department)

Hi everyone,

Another picture of Rose? You want it - you got it!

Happy Easter everyone!

Cheers,
Paul

By popular demand - Rose!!!

2008-02-26T22:53:00.001-08:00

(from the My Baby Is Cuter Than Your Baby - So there! ;) department)

Hi everyone,

Okay - you wanted pictures - you got 'em. Be prepared for cuteness. This is Rose just after a bath. She's being held in the arms of her mom, Dana.

Told you they were cute!

Cheers,
Paul

New item on the menu?

2008-02-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

(from the BBC Rules!! department)

Hi everyone,

The title sounds innocent enough, doesn't it?

Restaurant sorry over F word bill

Had me laughing for quite a while.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. It's on the BBC - it's safe for work, family, etc.

Battle Royale!

2008-02-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

(from the And in this corner department)

Hi everyone,

Well - the big showdown finally happened! Jon Stewart vs. Stephen Colbert vs. Conan O'Brien over who created Mike Huckabee.

And thanks to the miracle of the Internet - and the writer's strike - you can watch it here!

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

Part 1: It begins on The Daily Show

Part 2: It continues on The Colbert Report

Part 3: It concludes on Late Night With Conan O'Brien

UPDATE: It looks like the above embed doesn't work anymore. Here's the closest I could find:

Rose with a toy!

2008-02-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

(from the Awww - isn't that cute? department)

Hi everyone,

We (Dana, Paul & Rose) just got back from a trip to NC to visit inlaws. During the trip we took a lot of photos and videos. I'm still sorting thru them, but I thought I'd share this video with you.

This is the first time Rose has ever done anything like this, although there were hints of it just before we left on the trip.

Pretty cool, huh?

Cheers,
Paul

Roll your own Linux!

2008-01-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

(from the DIY department)

Hi everyone,

Found a "quick" guide to rolling your own Linux distro. I might have to give this a try....

How To Roll Your Own Linux Distro.

Cheers,
Paul

Rose in the morning

2008-01-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

(from the Looking for Dimples department)

Well - Rose put on a show this morning. And - thanks to the internet, I can share it with you. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

Playstation 3 versus Xbox 360 thoughts...

2008-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

(from the Endless Arguments department)

Hi everyone,

I sent a friend of mine an e-mail with some thoughts about PS3, Xbox 360 and even PS2 architectures. Just so it doesn't get lost, here it is. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

This might be easier to digest. ^_^

Here's the PS3 final dev kit - the prototype dev kits were much bigger.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/726/726255p1.html

That's a much more manageable size.

The PS3 has 256 megs RAMBUS XDR main memory and 256 megs GDDR3 VRAM GPU memory. However - the GPU can access main memory - apparently up to 440 Megs max. There's probably a speed penalty in that, I'm guessing.

By contrast, the Xbox 360 has a unified memory architecture - 512 Megs of GDDR3 RAM shared between the CPU and GPU.

PS3 has a hyperthreaded PPU (PowerPC) and 7 SPUs - one of which is reserved. This means 2 PPU threads and 6 SPU threads. This means kind of 2-8 threads, at any given time, depending on what you're doing.

The Xbox 360 has 3 cores, hyperthreaded PowerPC. This means 6 full threads - probably faster clock speed than the PPU too. To my way of thinking, these architectures aren't that radically different in terms of performance. Sure - pure Vector math benchmarks may favor the PS3, but real world?

meh.

I don't really see any advantages one way or the other here. In fact, the Sony architecture might annoy standard PC developers, who haven't worked with the PS2 very much. ^_^

I mean - develop an application for the PC - heck let's make it dual core. Now, port it to Xbox 360. Optimize for 6 threads. Runs well. Now, port to PS3. Initially, you're probably running on the PPU - two threads. Performance sucks. (Some companies release it at this point. ^_^) Smart developers start pawning pure math functions off to individual SPUs. They are incredibly fast, but there's only so much pure math you can do on them. Performance basically equals Xbox 360, if you optimize enough. Hair is pulled out constantly.

Alternatively - do PS3 dev first. Run great. All math functions designed to run independently on SPUs - advanced physics included. Port to XBox 360. Performance sucks. Now start consolidating SPU functions as independent threads and take advantage of the triple core. Performance basically equals PS3, with possibly simplified math approximations - which you don't notice on an HDTV anyway.

This is what I'm seeing in the real world based on the available games.

For example, I've been playing games developed on the PC/Xbox first. Best example of this is The Orange Box. Most of the time, it's fine. Sometimes, though, it slows down terribly. Valve didn't want to do the PS3 port at all - they handed it off to EA UK. Now, patches are on their way.

On the other hand, I have the Burnout Paradise demo. It was originally developed on the PS3 and ported to Xbox 360. It looks stunning on the PS3, but word on the street is that the Xbox 360 version looks great too.

I don't think you're gonna see any big differences between the two until developers abandon DX9/DX10 architecture, and start thinking outside the box. You'll see start to see radical games like this from established PS2 companies like Insomniac and Naughty Dog, since they don't do any DX9/DX10 architecture, and understand the Vector Unit concept.

There are several groovy things that you can do with the PS3 architecture. Remember that, unlike the PS2 which had no GPU, the PS3 has the RSX - which is an nVidia 7800 equivalent - for its GPU. You can feed the pixel and vertex shader pipelines in the RSX from the SPUs directly. Now we're starting to talk - write physics and AI code on the SPUs, and then send it to the RSX's pixel and vertex shaders. No main CPU (PPU) overhead. Or - use full motion HD video on surfaces, courtesy of the SPU. Apparently, one or two SPUs can decode h.264 video streams at HD resolution.

By the way - that's the reason that everyone is having such trouble emulating the PS2. The GS chip in the PS2 is not a GPU - it's a frame buffer manager/compositor. The GS writes to video buffer memory using a 2560 bit wide pipeline - using low latency DRAM!!! This is crazy talk. The GS has 1024 write bits, 1024 read bits and 512 read/write bits, even though it's only 4 megs! No current graphic card uses this kind of craziness. The PS2 doesn't really use pixel or vertex shaders - it uses one of its vector units in a pure "read the frame buffer, do some crazy math on it, and write the frame buffer back" kind of a way, thanks to its huge pipeline. The EE
is pretty straightforward - it's a MIPS core with two vector units. A dual-core Intel can simulate it rather well - or a Cell for that matter.

Which is exactly what the 80 gig PS3s do - emulate the EE with the Cell. But - the 80 gig PS3 still has a GS in silicon. That's what Sony removed from the 40 gig unit, and why it can't run PS2 games. The original 20 and 60 gig PS3s have a PS2 EE+GS in silicon. All PS1 games are done with full software emulation on all PS3 consoles.

I've often wondered if the PS3 was seriously gimped during the design phase. The initial PS3 designed seemed more PS2 like - they were prototyping with a twin Cell system - and each Cell had 8 SPUs, not 7. Add a crazy, hi-def GS-like chip, and now we're talking. Sony designers claimed that the second Cell didn't add anything to the performace, but I wonder. Grafting a stock nVidia GPU into this architecture seems like changing out a sports car's wheels for a Humvee's. They're nice wheels, and have some great features - but they really shouldn't be on there. Sony's teams may have caved to pressure from folks like Epic (unreal engine) who now use a lot of Pixel and Vertex shaders on the GPU. They may have freaked out if they had heard that Sony was about to release another console without a GPU.

Hmm - that's a lot to think about. ^_^

Quick pics of Rose, while I'm home sick

2008-01-04T16:49:00.001-08:00

(from the cough, cough department)

Here you go!

Cheers,

Paul

Hi-Fi Homemade Speaker

2007-12-27T17:17:00.001-08:00

(from the Audio on a budget department)

Hi everyone,

This is very clever. The electrical engineer and the audio engineer in me both approve:

http://www.josepino.com/other_projects/index?homemade-hifi-speaker.jpc

Cheers,
Paul

Standards for all!!!

2007-12-23T00:51:00.000-08:00

(from the Acid 2 department)

Hi everyone,

After reading this post about IE8 and the Acid 2 test, I wondered how Firefox was doing. Currently, Firefox 1.5 and 2.0 do not pass the test. But - how about Firefox 3.0?

So - I tried the Acid 2 test with Firefox 3.0 beta 2. And guess what?

Yup - it passes!

So - now - Opera, Safari, IE and Firefox all pass the Acid 2 test. Standards - here we come?

Cheers,
Paul

Merry Christmas from Santa and Rose!!!

2007-12-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

(from the Happy Holidays department)

Hi everyone,

Well - our little Rose got to meet Santa for the first time. She was extremely well behaved - perhaps it was her new velvet dress!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cheers,
Paul

First Led Zeppelin, then My Bloody Valentine, now this?

2007-12-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Okay - this may not shiver your timbers like it does mine, but after Wire, my favorite band is Swervedriver.

And....

Swervedriver 2008 Reunion World Tour

The Road Is Long

So it looks like Swervedriver will hit the road once more. It all happened quite quickly and we met up in a pub in London last month and figured out what we'd like to do, which at this point is just heading out and playing some shows again.

As far as new recordings are concerned, I already have two albums to record next year (a new 'solo' and The Setting Suns debut) and they take priority. Maybe the Swervies can rustle up a new tune or two but really, there's more than enough going on with that back catalogue already.

I gotta say that something that really sparked my interest in this was hearing the live version of Sandblasted that has been posted for some time at swervedriver.com and subsequently at the MySpace page. I'd just never heard it played like that before. I mean, I guess I was there and everything, but it's got this great kinda country style to it that sounds like it might have only happened one night, and it's stuff like that that keeps the whole thing alive to me... not only in the music but the fact that other folks cared enough to record and post these recordings.

In the meantime this 'Bolts of Melody' tour has been going really good and finally it's reached the point where nobody bitches after the shows about the lack of Swervedriver songs! I guess because they've been leaving completely satiated by the set that culminates with the twelve minute C chord that is Ramonesland. Things are nicely in place to build on with another album next year and there's already a great album taking shape I think..

So I guess I'd better sleep now.. cheers - A

BTW - The 'A' stands for Adam Franklin, head swervie. I do have Bolts Of Melody - remind me to tell you about it sometime.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. A slight update - looks like the classic Swervedriver song "Duel" will be in Burnout: Paradise!!! w00t! Hit the accelerator now, baby!

Kind of an experiment

2007-12-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

(from the Are you kidding me? Kewl! department)

Hi everyone,

I'm trying something out here. It's a clip from YouTube of Robert Plant & Pearl Jam performing Going To California. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. This is research so I can post some Rose videos to the blog.

Ruby Gloom on DVD in February!

2007-11-30T01:08:00.000-08:00

(From the Ruby Gloom department, naturally)

Hi everyone!

Great news! According to Variety, Ruby Gloom will be released on DVD in Canada starting February 2008!!! I can hardly wait.

Original article here: Nelvana draws up DVD pact

Cheers,
Paul

Yet another great news headline from Japan

2007-11-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

(from the Where do they get these? department)

Had to share this with everyone:

80-year-old granny tries to suffocate bossy husband with futon

An 80-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday for attempting to kill her bossy husband by covering his face with a futon, police said.

Awesome, huh?

Cheers,
Paul

Thoughts while getting ready to leave the hospital

2007-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Well - Mom and Baby are catching a quick snooze right now, and I have a little time, so I'm writing a quick blog entry and including a quick pic.

Both Dana and Rose are doing well. They actually did so well last night that Dad got a little sleep, so I'm returning the favor this morning.

In about 15 minutes, I'll have to wake Dana, and get her ready to see the nurse to get her prepped to go home. She needs to grab a quick shower, then have some staples removed, etc. Meanwhile, I'll head down to get the take-home prescription medicines and install the car seat, etc.

Then, we have to leave our little "baby hotel" room. I'll sure miss having the nurses available to help with the press of a button - but that's to be expected in real life. I am looking forward to taking Rose home, though. She's gonna love growing up in our house, and playing in our back yard. She might even put up with Dad's crazy hobbies - though that will probably take a while. Naturally, I'm hoping she shows an interest in music - I'll probably start playing guitar for her early. I loved it when my Mom played piano for me.

With all that goes on in a busy world nowadays, it was nice to spend two days "disconnected" with my wife and daughter. But like all good things, that has come to an end. I am looking forward to introducing friends and family to Rose soon, though - everyone has been eagerly waiting to meet her!

Okay - Rose is starting to stir, and the nurse will be here soon. Time to gather up Dana and Rose and get started on our new life together.

Cheers,
Paul

It's time!

2007-11-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen......

It is my honor to present - Rose Victoria Pietromonaco!

Vital Statistics:
Birth Date: Born November 13th, 2007 at 9:30 PM
Birth Location: Swedish Hospital, Seattle WA.
Birth Weight: 7 lbs, 1.7 oz
Birth Length: 18.75 inches
Proud Parents: Dana & Paul Pietromonaco

Dana and I are quite excited and quite exhausted. Her original due date was last week - Monday, Nov. 5th. Since she was overdue, we were planning on starting labor induction tomorrow (Thurs.) - instead, due to some complications, she arrived yesterday (Tues.) via C-Section. Everything is fine, though - Mother and Baby are doing great!

Here's a few more pics:

By the way - those things on her ears in the last photo are not some sort of baby torture device. They're actually part of an infant hearing test. They play soft sounds in her ears, and use the white sensor you can see on her head to scan her brain to determine if she heard the sounds! How cool is that?

Happy Birthday Rose! Mom & Dad love you!

Cheers,
Paul

Headlines: Japan vs. England edition

2007-10-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

(from the I luv the BBC and Mainichi deparatment)

Hi everyone,

Once again - Japan and England have two of the best headlines. One is from the BBC and one is from Mainichi News. Pick your favorite!

Japan:
Old man acquitted for fatal shooting of paint thinner-addicted son

England:
Smoking 'raises psoriasis risk'

Where do they get these wonderous stories?

Cheers,
Paul

(Pre) Baby photos!

2007-10-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

(from The Future Daughter department)

Hi everyone,

My wife Dana had an ultrasound today. Our baby daughter is due November 5th - or in other words, 3 weeks!

At this point, the ultrasound images are incredible. You can really see what she looks like. Just watching the ultrasound screen is amazing, but the nurse printed out some of the best images, so I thought I'd share them with you. Without further ado, here's our daughter:

I think I like the first one the best - but they're all great.

Cheers,
Paul

Don't try this at home!

2007-10-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

(from the I Luv The BBC department)

Hi everyone,

There's something amazing about the BBC news service. Where else would you get a story like this?

Doctors save man with vodka drip

Summary: Australian doctors have kept an Italian tourist alive by feeding him vodka through a drip for three days, medical staff in Queensland say.

This isn't a funny story or anything - but that headline is amazing. Almost as good as this one:

Policeman shot in butt with own gun while battling porn vending machine bandits

But - since that's from Japan, where they actually have porn vending machines, that's almost too easy.

Cheers,
Paul

Finally - a good PS3 diagram

2007-10-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

(from the Aha! So *that's* what it looks like! department)

Hi everyone,

Just a quick digaram of the internals of the PS3. Original article here. (Translation)

Also, as a follow-up to my prior post, if you translate the original article, you find this tidbit of information about the original EE-less design constraints:

(Note: I've smoothed out the auto translator "english" a little. It should be pretty close to the original Japanese, although this is *not* a direct translation.)

"According to an industry insider, the GS was retained because it can't be emulated by the PS3 chipset. This is due to the GS's pipeline architecture which requires 4MB of super-wideband and low latency eDRAM. Because the RSX (Reality Synthesizer) GPU of the PS3 has a PC graphics pipeline with external memory, it can't replicate the special architecture of the GS."

"Moreover, it is difficult for the cluster of SPUs (Synergistic Processor Unit) in the PS3's Cell BE processor to emulate the GS. Even though each SPU has 256KB of on-chip memory (Local Store), that is insufficient for the requirements of the GS. In addition, a number of game industry insiders point out that there are many developers who did direct, custom access to the GS which would necessitate a hardware solution."

So, based on this, it looks like these 40 gig PS3s are going to remain incompatible with the PS2 - for the foreseeable future, anyway. I'll keep you posted if Sony changes their mind, but at this point, I think it's fairly safe to say that PS2 emulation has been eliminated from the PS3.

Cheers,
Paul

40 gig Euro PS3 released without PS2 compatibility - entire world says "Wha?"

2007-10-05T14:31:00.001-07:00

(from the Wha? Guh! department)

Hi everyone,

Well - Sony continues to send a very mixed message with their marketing strategy for the PS3.

First of all - they added rumble to the SIXAXIS controller after they said that it was "last generation" technology. All well and good - but although the controller comes out next month in Japan, customers in North America and Europe have to wait until "Spring 2008".

Wha?

Well... okay... it seems stupid to miss the Holiday season window in NA & Europe, but... okay...

But wait - that's not all. Today Sony announced a new, low-cost PS3 model in Europe. As predicted by various news sources, this model lowers the HDD size to 40 gig, reduces the number of USB ports from 4 to 2, and removes the multi-function memory card slots. All well and good - it's a lower cost machine - but here's the strange part.

They also removed PS2 backwards compatibility.

Wuh? Wuh? Wuh...WHA?

Didn't Ken Kutaragi himself once say, "the PS3 will feature backwards compatibility with PS and PS2 games from day one. I'm emphasizing this because, from what I hear, there are some platforms that haven't been able to completely do this. It's costly in terms of hardware, but we'd rather [invest] firmly on compatibility from the beginning, rather than to have issues later on."

Oh yeah - that's right - he's not there anymore.

Some of you might be wondering how this is possible, given what I said earlier about backwards compatibility in my blog.

Well - the answer is simple. The heart of the PlayStation 2 is two chips - the Emotion Engine (EE) and the Graphics Synthesizer (GS). The earliest PS3s had the EE + GS in silicon - thus hardware PS2 compatibility. The next revision (Europe, Korean, 80 gig US) of the motherboard removed the EE in favor of software emulation by the Cell BE processor of the PS3, but left the GS in place. Apparently, this new 40 gig model removes the GS entirely, breaking backwards compatibility. Someday, if they were so inclined, they might be able to get the PS3's nVidia RSX GPU to emulate the GS, but that would be quite the undertaking, since they are fundamentally different beasts.

*sigh*

If PS2 compatibility means anything to you, buy that 60 gig model now - before it's too late!

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. The other thing about Sony that's annoying me right now? They're not releasing the S-Video cable for the new PSP in America. Grrrrrrr....

UPDATE: Some of the European blogs have reported that the 40 gig model has lost SACD playback capabilities as well. I did confirm that on Sony's Australian PlayStation site. The blogs theorize that the SACD playback was discontinued due to either a licensing issue with the SACD division of Sony or due to the increased costs of incorporating Pit Stream Protection in the BluRay Drive. This latter reason seems most plausible to me. By removing Pit Stream Protection, you can use a "standard" BluRay drive, and could shave a little bit more from the cost of manufacturing.

UPDATE 2: I had mentioned that the 40 gig PS3 had dropped PS1 backwards compatibility. This is not true - the 40 gig PS3 will still play PS1 games. As it turns out, PS1 compatibility had been achived entirely through software emulation since the launch of the PS3. The PSP also uses a full software emulator for PS1 games; that is why you can share them between your PSP and your PS3. That is also why the PS3 dramatically improves the graphics quality of PS1 games; it isn't constrained by the original PS1 hardware. Mea culpa.

Here it is...again...Wire!

2007-10-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

(from the It's Beginning To And Back Again department)

Hi everyone,

So - you might be wondering where the name of this blog - TheIdealCopy - comes from. It's the title of an album by the band Wire.

Wire has an odd history of being very active, then being rather quiet. Their last period of activity ended around 2004 or so. Fans of Wire - myself included - had wondered if, perhaps, this last phase was indeed the end of the band.

Well - we got some great news from their website Pinkflag.com. Official press release follows.

Cheers,
Paul

Read & Burn 03 is on its way!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Read & Burn 03—the latest in Wire's series of 'research & development' vehicles—is finished, mastered, designed and in production for a November 12th UK release. Featuring four new tracks—23 Years Too Late/Our Time/No Warning Given/Desert Driving—and with a total running time of over 25 minutes, Read & Burn 03 is both a substantial chunk of audio and significant signposting in the third reactivation of Wire as a recording and live entity.

We will, of course, let you know as soon as we can offer pre-order through Posteverything. Meanwhile, we would be happy if you spread the word that Wire is most definitely back! Please note: unlike previous Read & Burn releases, this item is intended as a complete standalone entity. None of the tracks will be included on the next full-length Wire album, so there will be no excuses not to buy it!

Paul's "Twisted Thought Of The Day®" (inaugural edition)

2007-09-25T15:15:00.001-07:00

(from the Snowball's chance in Heck department)

Hi everyone,

I just had one of those weird thoughts that sometimes occur to me.... I think I'm going to start keeping track of these here: My "Twisted Thought Of The Day®" (or TTOTD® for short).

So - follow my logic here....

The original Xbox used an Intel processor with nVidia graphics and USB peripherals.
The Xbox 360 uses a PowerPC processor with ATi graphics and USB peripherals.
The Xbox 360 offers backwards compatibility by software emulation. This is tricky because the CPU and the GPU both have to have an emulation layer.
The PlayStation 3 has a PowerPC processor with nVidia graphics and USB peripherals.

Therefore, to my way of thinking, you should be able to create an Xbox emulator for the PS3 with decent performance. In addition - you wouldn't have to translate the GPU commands with as much effort - the architecture between the Xbox and PS3 GPUs should be similar. (Not identical, but similar). And the Cell should do a great job emulating an Intel microprocessor.

Wouldn't that be a scream? Playing my Xbox games on my PS3?

Unfortunately, we'll have to file this in the "never gonna happen" department, I'm afraid. Still - Halo on the PS3 would be something.

Cheers,
Paul

Running Fedora 7 on Virtual PC 2007

2007-09-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

(from the Hardware vs. Software 2 - this time it's personal! department)

Hi everyone,

Here's a (very) quick guide as to how I got Fedora 7 running on Virtual PC 2007. These are necessarily terse notes to myself - experienced Linux users (and Virtual PC users) will dig 'em. If there's interest in a step-by-step guide for normal (?) Linux users, I'd consider writing that as a separate blog entry.

Quick Guide/Notes:

I decided to perform an FTP install of Fedora, so I only downloaded ISOs for the Live CD (Fedora-7-Live-i686.iso) and the Rescue CD (F-7-i386-rescuecd.iso).
Virtual PC was set to use shared networking. (I'm not sure if this is a requirement or not - that's just how I did it.)
Booted from the Live CD and followed the instructions for an FTP install of Fedora 7.
You must perform a text based install. The graphics won't work by default since Virtual PC uses a 16-bit display and the installer defaults to 24-bit.

When you reboot after the install, use a recovery disc and get to a command prompt. You'll want to change /etc/X11/xorg.conf and switch it to 16 bit graphics:

Section "Screen"
        Identifier "Screen0"
        Device     "Videocard0"
        DefaultDepth     16
        SubSection "Display"
                Viewport   0 0
                Depth     16
        EndSubSection
EndSection

You'll also want to comment out the S3 driver (with a "#") and add the framebuffer driver:

Section "Device"
        Identifier  "Videocard0"
#       Driver      "s3"
        Driver      "fbdev"
EndSection

Next, we need to start the kernel with extra parameters. This starts the kernel in framebuffer mode, fixes mouse support, adds mouse wheel and fixes a clock issue. I did this by editing the kernel entry in /boot/grub/grub.conf as follows (split into three lines for browser compatibility on the main blog page):
```
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7 ro
root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet vga=791
i8042.noloop psmouse.proto=imps clock=pit
```

The vga=791 selects 1024x768 screen and 16 bpp. You can set the pixel resolution to whatever you like by putting in the appropriate VESA value, however, for Virtual PC 2007, you must pick a 16 bpp mode. There's a handy list of them here at Wikipedia.
The i8042.noloop fixes the mouse issue (i.e. PS2 mice that the emulator creates don't work with some kernels)
The psmouse.proto=imps gets the mouse wheel working.
The clock=pit fixes a clock issue

Finally, I had to edit /etc/inittab to switch to X11 graphical boot instead of a text boot. Look for this line, and change the "3" to a "5" as follows:
```
id:5:initdefault:
```
That's it!

Regular Virtual PC 2007 and Fedora 7 usage I leave as an exercise for the reader. *grin*

Update: Here are a few more notes that might prove useful.

When you set time zone, be sure to indicate that the System Clock does *not* use UTC. Otherwise, you will find that your Fedora clock is off by a number of hours, depending on how many time zones you are away from UTC. If you set this by mistake, you can change it later in the GUI by selecting System-->Preferences-->System-->Date & Time.
You may be able to use the graphic installer after all. When you boot the installer, use "Tab" to edit the command line, and try adding "vesa i8042.noloop psmouse.proto=imps clock=pit" after the "vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img". I'm testing this now, and will update my blog notes accordingly.

Cheers,
Paul

Creepy Robot Cat!

2007-09-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

(from the Meowwww...eeeewwww... department)

Hi everyone,

I pass this along without much comment... (except maybe....eww!)

Yume Neko Smile, Creepy Robot Cat from Segatoys is now on sale!

(from Akihabara News)

I guess this is a perfect example of "Uncanny Valley".

Cheers,
Paul

PS3: 60 gig or 80 gig?

2007-09-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

(from the Hardware vs. Software department)

Hi everyone,

I'm posting this information in my blog because there's been a lot of churn on these facts, and I need to document all of this information with as much real data as possible, before it gets lost. Most people will find this pretty esoteric, but if you want to see how global companies operate, read on!

Cheers,
Paul

The Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) is backwards compatible with the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation (PS1). However, Sony has developed two different ways of doing backwards compatibility using either a hardware or a software solution.

Originally, the PS3 was to use pure software emulation via its powerful Cell microprocessor for PS2 and PS1 backwards compatibility. It is theorized that PS1 titles still may only utilize software emulation, based on this original development decision. However, sometime during the development process, this plan was partially abandoned in favor of a hardware solution for PS2 compatibility.

Therefore, at their November 2006 launch, the original North American and Japanese 20 gig and 60 gig PS3s had a custom PS2 Emotion Engine (EE) + Graphics Synthesizer (GS) chip on their motherboards for backwards compatibility. This custom EE+GS chip was later replaced on the European and Korean models with a single PS2 GS chip in a motherboard revision before their respective product launches, due to the increased performance of the EE software emulator, and to save money on the manufacturing costs. Interestingly, the two different motherboard revisions are apparently not interchangeable - the hardware units can't be "switched off" to become software units.

Since these models relied on software EE emulation, and this type of emulation is quite complex, the percentage of compatible PS2 games were lower for these machines at launch. Each successive System Software revision, however, has seen continual improvement in PS2 backwards compatibility percentages for these hybrid software emulation PS3s. Direct comparisons between the two different designs were initially hard to quantify, since there was only one motherboard design released in a region, and games differ too much between these regions.

The software emulator's difficulties with PS2 backwards compatibility was not a big issue for North American users since all models sold since launch, including the almost immediately discontinued 20 gig model, had the EE in hardware on the motherboard. This situation would soon change when Sony dropped the price of the 60 gig PS3 to $499 in North America and introduced a new 80 gig model at $599. Early press reports revealed that the 80 gig model would be using the EE-less motherboard, and therefore would rely on software emulation for PS2 compatibility. It also was quickly revealed that the 60 gig model was being price reduced because it was being phased out. Sony stated that they would only offer the 60 gig model until stocks ran out.

Sony recently started offering an on-line service for checking compatibility between the North American EE 60 gig models (including the discontinued 20 gig) and the non-EE 80 gig models. Curmudgeon Gamer has recently gone through their game library with this web service, and posted some interesting results. In their findings, the PS1 compatibility results are identical, lending some credence to the theory that the PS3 uses pure software emulation for PS1 titles. However, the PS2 compatibility results are quite different, with the hardware EE 60 gig model seemingly much more backwards compatible.

In summary, if backwards compatibility is important, it might be a good idea to pick up one of the 60 gig PS3s before stocks run out. PS1 compatibility appears identical between the two revisions, but PS2 compatibility seems to benefit from having the EE present, as in the 60 gig model.

UPDATE: added additional hardware GS information, per recent Sony documentation.

Jobs Offers Apple Lisa Early Adopters Store Credit

2007-09-10T17:00:00.001-07:00

(from the If it's too good to be true...it probably is department)

Hi everyone,

A friend sent me this tongue-in-cheek post this morning. Made me laugh:

Jobs Offers Apple Lisa Early Adopters Store Credit

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. If you don't know what I'm talking about:
Steve Jobs gives all iPhone owners $100 back

CXA2075

2007-09-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

(from the Paul's Smarter Brother department)

Hi everyone,

It's a little known fact, but my brother David is a silicon chip designer. At one point in his career, he worked for Sony and designed an RGB-to-Video (NTSC/PAL) chip for the PlayStation called the CXA2075.

Well, yesterday, I was poking around on the web, and found the data sheet for it (PDF). Very impressive Dave!

There's still a number of people who use it, too.

Dave's own recollections can be found here.

Cheers,
Paul

Foxkeh!

2007-08-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

(From the OMG - this is teh cut3z ! department)

If you haven't seen this, you should. This is from Firefox in Japan. More browsers need cute mascots like this:

You can find out more here at their homepage.

Cheers,
Paul

More about the Original Adventure source code

2007-08-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

(from the YOU ARE STANDING AT THE END OF A ROAD department)

Hi everyone,

You might have seen this posting on Slashdot (or in my RSS headlines) about the original FORTRAN Adventure source code being found in an archive.

Originally written by Will Crowther, Adventure was the first text adventure game. Most people are familiar with a subsequent version that was expanded and edited by Don Woods.

Long thought lost, Crowther's original source code has been located in a backup of Don Woods' Standford student account from 1977.

Matthew T. Russotto has already translated the PDP FORTRAN to g77 (GNU FORTRAN 77) - which means that most modern gcc installations should be able to compile it.

He has a link here: http://www.russotto.net/~russotto/ADVENT/

I've gone ahead and compiled it on my PlayStation 2 Linux box (mips binary) - and on my laptop under Cygwin (x86 binary). I've never used GNU FORTRAN before - very interesting. I might have to peep the source code a bit - last time I used FORTRAN was in 1983 in college.

In the meantime,

$ ./advf4-11.exe
PAUSE  INIT DONE statement executed
To resume execution, type go.  Other input will terminate the job.
go
Execution resumes after PAUSE.
WELCOME TO ADVENTURE!!  WOULD YOU LIKE INSTRUCTIONS?

yes
SOMEWHERE NEARBY IS COLOSSAL CAVE, WHERE OTHERS HAVE FOUND
FORTUNES IN TREASURE AND GOLD, THOUGH IT IS RUMORED
THAT SOME WHO ENTER ARE NEVER SEEN AGAIN. MAGIC IS SAID
TO WORK IN THE CAVE.  I WILL BE YOUR EYES AND HANDS. DIRECT
ME WITH COMMANDS OF 1 OR 2 WORDS.
(ERRORS, SUGGESTIONS, COMPLAINTS TO CROWTHER)
(IF STUCK TYPE HELP FOR SOME HINTS)

YOU ARE STANDING AT THE END OF A ROAD BEFORE A SMALL BRICK
BUILDING . AROUND YOU IS A FOREST. A SMALL
STREAM FLOWS OUT OF THE BUILDING AND DOWN A GULLY.

go east
YOU ARE INSIDE A BUILDING, A WELL HOUSE FOR A LARGE SPRING.
THERE ARE SOME KEYS ON THE GROUND HERE.
THERE IS A SHINY BRASS LAMP NEARBY.
THERE IS FOOD HERE.
THERE IS A BOTTLE OF WATER HERE.

Cheers,
Paul

Tea Rules (of Etiquette)

2007-08-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

(from the Miss Manners Says department)

Hi everyone,

The BBC mentioned something about a tea room with "Scary" rules in Brighton. Having been to Brighton a number of times, I had to know more.

Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, I found the tea room, and I found the rules. See how many of these you can follow:

The Tea Cosy Tearooms Etiquette

Cheers,
Paul

XBOX 360 Thermal Design

2007-08-07T13:09:00.001-07:00

(from the It's sure toasty in here department)

Hi everyone,

Saw a great on-line article about the thermal design of the Xbox 360. You should check it out - especially if you're a current Xbox 360 owner.

Fragile Part of Xbox 360? Thermal Design Expert Investigates

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. Don't worry about installing Japanese fonts if it asks you - the site is in English.

New site addition

2007-07-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that I've added a new feed to my RSS Headline News. Starting today, you'll see entries from wikiHow. I especially like today's HowTo - How to Host a LAN party!

Let's do it!!!

Cheers,
Paul

Anime list from 2003

2007-07-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

(from the Invest in CDs? I Thought You Said DVDs! department)

Hi everyone,

When I moved into my new house, I had to pack up a lot of stuff that I had accumulated in 12 years of living in the same apartment. There wasn't time to deal with all of my stuff, so we just left it in the moving boxes in the new basement, thinking we'd deal with it shortly. Two years later, most of my stuff is still in these boxes - including my original webserver for Weasel-bot.com. (Frighteningly, it's a Japanese NEC PC-9821 running Win 95!)

I made the switch to a new webserver to save energy, and I still haven't migrated all of the old data over. (Frighteningly, the new server is a PlayStation 2 running Linux!) Most of the data is pretty useless anyway - the domain has always been more of a hobby than an ongoing concern - but I've restored one webpage that's really cool.

At one point, in 2003, I went thru all of my anime DVDs and came up with a master list. I still haven't turned on that computer - but it turns out that the internet Wayback Machine had archived the list.

I now present it to you, for your shock and amazement: Paul's Anime List

The sad thing? That's from 2003! It has none of the anime I've purchased on DVD since then.

Cheers,
Paul

Queen Guitarist Brian May To Complete His Doctorate

2007-07-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

(from the Killer Riffs, Killer Asteroids department)

Hi everyone,

Various news sources, including the Sydney Morning Herald, are indicating that Queen guitarist Brian May is going to complete his doctorate in Astrophysics, 30 years after discontinuing his studies to form the rock group Queen.

This is so cool on a number of levels - brainy rock people, doctorates at 60, astronomy - I don't know where to begin.

Congratulations, Brian!

(Also noted here at the BBC)

Cheers,
Paul

A Visit To Kwik-E-Mart

2007-07-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

(from the Is This Real Or A Movie? department)

Hi everyone,

Dana and I visited Seattle's "Kwik-E-Mart" today. In honor of the upcoming Simpsons movie, a few 7-11s were turned into the fictional Kwik-E-Marts of the TV show. We went to the one in Seattle.

All I can say is that it was awesome. The interior designs were especially amazing. I ended up buying a 6 pack of donuts (pink like the show!) and a Homer T-Shirt. The employees working there seemed farily enthusiastic about it, really. People were all over the store, taking photos. (It didn't hurt that it was the Bite of Seattle weekend either.)

Here's some photos!

And - yes - the donuts are tasty!

Cheers,
Paul

My Name Is... Possible Copyright Infringement?

2007-07-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

(from the Lawsuits-R-Us department)

Hi everyone,

I've been surfing the FCC website lately, and stumbled across this page: Kidszone

In the left side of the webpage, you'll see the FCC's new mascot - ~~Doraemon~~ Broadcast.

Anyone else notice the similarities, or is it just me?

Cheers,
Paul

Latest Harry Potter already on the web?

2007-07-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

(from the Web Hackorz are l33t! - not! department)

Hi everyone,

Looks like somebody has put photocopied pages of the new Harry Potter novel on the web. Jeez!

New Potter Book May Have Made Its Way To Web

Cheers,
Paul