RSSRandom Notes Archives
May 11, 2008
There and back again
I have returned, just in time to clear the creeping weeds and undergrowth in the back.
Not much to say, work has consumed much of my time, and the rest has been spent having inane conversations, staring blankly at my (recently purchased) 40" LCD flatscreen television, or attending social events where I drink too much.
I did watch both seasons of Rome recently, probably a must-see for anyone who reads Aqoul. Only thing I really disliked was the portrayal of Ptolemaic Egypt, oddly reduced to a ridiculous Eurotrash orgy with bad wigs and sloppy eye makeup. Cleopatra was particularly disappointing for me because I've always been fascinated by her (not the seductress part, more the political/intellectual aspects).
Anyway, must sleep.
Posted by eerie at 01:14 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 08, 2008
Delhi
No time to write as usual, but am resting in a fabulous hotel in Delhi. Trip has been so-so, low point was puking in the garden at the Taj Mahal. Bloody e. coli. Still queasy even now. More later.
Posted by eerie at 08:39 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
October 09, 2007
Adriamycin and Friends
Came across an interesting AP article today talking about a chemotherapy drug used to treat breast cancer (among others) and its adverse effect on the heart:
Drugs called anthracyclines are a breast chemo staple despite a well-known risk: They weaken some women's hearts. What's new is research suggesting the drugs work no better than safer alternatives for most women.
Anyone who has read a lot of journal articles on cancer will note this interesting shift in focus. Many cancers can now be successfully treated (i.e. complete response obtained with low rate of recurrence) and as a result the long-term toxic properties of chemotherapy drugs actually have time to manifest.
Continue reading "Adriamycin and Friends"
Posted by eerie at 06:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 29, 2007
Koba, etc.
I meant to start this entry a few hours ago, but that rabid LGF-esque moron on the main site distracted me. Anyway, per Zenpundit's request, I am going to review Koba the Dread and relate an amusing story about why I read it in the first place.
Posted by eerie at 09:28 PM | Comments (20) | TrackBack
April 25, 2007
Back
Still behind on my RSS feeds (100+ in all categories now) but I've missed mucking about on Aqoul, so here I am with some gross generalizations on men, dating and other trivialities.
Yes, I know you'd all prefer I blogged about Iran's economy but dating dynamics are fascinating and I find it helpful to document my observations for further analysis and consultation with a bunch of intellectual degenerates online.
Onward, then.
Posted by eerie at 07:18 PM | Comments (31) | TrackBack
April 11, 2007
Always Darkest Before Dawn
Yes, I am still alive with only about a week of hell to go (followed by a night of utter debauchery to celebrate my birthday).
Just to give you a sense of how far I've fallen behind with respect to recent events in the Ether, here is a screenshot of my RSS reader:
Ah, I miss Lounsbury.
Posted by eerie at 02:59 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
March 28, 2007
Apologies for the extended absence
Very busy with school and work until around mid-April, various projects and 3 papers due in the next three weeks. I've also become slightly addicted to running and may even end up doing a half or full marathon someday.
Obviously this means less time for boys, which means fewer sordid tales to entertain the degenerates out there.
Anyway, I will mostly be lurking and doing minimal housekeeping around Aqoul for the next little while. Will jot down some reflections from my poli sci course, finally do a review of Infidel and fix some bugs when I get back.
In the meantime, feel free to use this space for pointless thoughts, requests for improvement, complaints, inappropriate comments, etc.
Posted by eerie at 02:35 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
February 12, 2007
Valentine's Day Rot
I was browsing the card store today (vainly trying to avoid the hordes of anxious-looking men sifting through ghastly pink and red monstrosities, aka "expressions of love") and noticed the most ridiculous card category ever:
From the Dog (Valentine)
Why the hell would you buy a Valentine card and pretend it's from the dog? Are they intended to be from one dog to another? What is the bloody point of this? Reminds me of that Mr. Bean episode where he fills out a bunch of Christmas cards himself and then pretends they're from other people.
I suppose it's the next logical step after dressing one's dog up in designer parkas, booties and elaborate Hallowe'en costumes (there is nothing more ridiculous than a small dog dressed as a bat, or a bumblebee).
Posted by eerie at 04:39 PM | Comments (33) | TrackBack
January 31, 2007
An Informal Survey
Since Aqoul has a fair number of international readers...
I notice that it is common social practice here* to "brag" about one's long work hours, as if a 60-hour week is a badge of honor. Seemed quite normal to me until I really thought about it.
To be honest, I'm happiest when my schedule is crammed. But what about elsewhere in the world? Do Europeans, in general conversation, boast about having no time to squeeze in a vacation?
* Urban East Coast North America, to generalize
Posted by eerie at 04:28 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
January 24, 2007
Catching Up
Apologies for the silence, have been busy as a bee with work, school and various forms of entertainment.
First, I've signed up for some courses because I'm perverse and easily bored. One is a seminar about the persistence of authoritarian Mideast governments and their economic/social policies (with at least one class entirely dedicated to rentier states, whee). Great material, but the instructor is rather green, has zero pedagogical skills and is obviously insecure in non-lecture settings. The other course plays to my persistent fascination with 17th-19th century European gentlemen-scientist fogeys (aka "natural philosophers"). History of science stuff.
Continue reading "Catching Up"
Posted by eerie at 03:07 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
December 18, 2006
Curse you, Zenpundit
I frequently wander over to Zenpundit's place for recommended reading links and commentary. Tonight, after reading his post on Shelfari.com, I found myself utterly engrossed in this so-called "MySpace for Bibliomaniacs".
For those of you who aren't familiar with MySpace, it's a massively popular social networking site, similar in functionality to Livejournal. People create friend-networks, write journals, leave comments (often accompanied by amateurish soft-core photoshop atrocities) and embroil themselves in highschool-type drama. Young celebrities also use MySpace pages to connect directly with fans (or create that impression).
Continue reading "Curse you, Zenpundit"
Posted by eerie at 11:38 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
December 16, 2006
The Show Us Your Desktop Meme
Am staying in today, trying to avoid the Christmas shopping pandemonium consuming this otherwise orderly city. While continuing to feed my ghoulish obsession with genocide (currently reading Dallaire, Power) and mucking about on 'Aqoul as usual, I came across a new meme: Show Us Your Desktop. Obviously it involves taking a screenshot of one's desktop and posting it for the purpose of inviting low value, cretinous commentary (yes, still laughing at L's drive-by yesterday).
Continue reading "The Show Us Your Desktop Meme"
Posted by eerie at 03:58 PM | Comments (18) | TrackBack
December 04, 2006
Open-Source Spying
Came across a typically rah-rah NYT article about blogs and wikis being the magic bullets for spy agencies to predict and prevent major terrorist attacks. Overall I was not impressed, but it did touch on a number of important organizational challenges around technology adoption, culture change and the pace of progress in large organizations.
Burton, who has since left the D.I.A. [Defense Intelligence Agency], is not alone in his concern. Indeed, throughout the intelligence community, spies are beginning to wonder why their technology has fallen so far behind — and talk among themselves about how to catch up. Some of the country’s most senior intelligence thinkers have joined the discussion, and surprisingly, many of them believe the answer may lie in the interactive tools the world’s teenagers are using to pass around YouTube videos and bicker online about their favorite bands. Billions of dollars’ worth of ultrasecret data networks couldn’t help spies piece together the clues to the worst terrorist plot ever. So perhaps, they argue, it’ s time to try something radically different. Could blogs and wikis prevent the next 9/11? [Emphasis mine]
First, some perspective. Collaboration tools (blogs, wikis, online workspaces) and information/knowledge management are currently very fashionable in IT-corporate circles, so it's not surprising at all to see the concept being examined by senior intel people. However, I find the above implication that pieces of software might prevent the next 9/11 to be utterly ludicrous.
Continue reading "Open-Source Spying"
Posted by eerie at 08:30 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
November 30, 2006
Trivial Distractions: Seduction Quiz
I find that online quizzes and similar internet flotsam are a useful distraction if one has spent too much time reading about the Rwandan genocide. (curse you Tom Odom!)
Yesterday, I discovered an interesting one making the rounds at Livejournal, called "The Art of Seduction". Nice Flash interface, but like Ms. Dewey, requires a reasonably fast connection and Flash 8/9.
So, without further ado (because I'm sure all of you are anxious to find out my seduction style as determined by a stupid internet quiz), I present my results below.
Continue reading "Trivial Distractions: Seduction Quiz"
Posted by eerie at 08:18 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
November 09, 2006
Ms. Dewey
A colleague sent me a link today, said it "reminded him of someone". Turned out to be Ms. Dewey, a bit of marketing fluff cooked up by Microsoft. The angle is essentially a sexy, exotic librarian (in the model of Ask Jeeves) who enjoys taunting the user and vying for his attention (target audience is, ahem, obvious).
Rather interesting in terms of "intelligent agent" software, but takes far too long to contextualize results (i.e. make a snappy and somewhat relevant remark based on the search term entered).
Requires Flash 8 and a fairly fast connection.
Posted by eerie at 06:19 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
November 07, 2006
Brooding Interrupted
Sheikh al-Catmeat and the Cairo Pervert Convention made me a bit broody and pensive this weekend. In the same vein, I received a press release today from HRW (not sure how I got on their mailing list, but no matter) about honor violence in the Palestinian territories. Unpleasant reading, to say the least.
Then Kitten dropped by and asked if I wanted to see the late showing of Borat. Really, I shouldn't have laughed so much, but I'm sure even the haute culture critics giggled a bit at the nude wrestling scene (not that this was evident reading the highbrow discussion of Borat-humor in the New Yorker, etc).
Shall return to my regularly scheduled brooding tomorrow.
PS - Saw a trailer for the new Bond movie. Bless that new blonde guy, he is stunning.
Posted by eerie at 12:01 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
October 11, 2006
Elphaba
The other day, a colleague randomly started calling me Elphaba. This is the same co-worker who coaxed me into joining her book club because I was "antisocial" and spent too much time around guys.
Of course I had no idea what it meant, so I did a bit of googling and discovered that Elphaba is the protagonist of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a sort of revisionist adult version of the Wizard of Oz.
Posted by eerie at 05:38 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 29, 2006
Reading about Genocide
To be precise, Gourevitch's ghoulishly titled book on Rwanda: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families. I wanted to jot down a humorous (well, darkly humorous) comment made to the journalist by an American military intelligence officer in a Kigali bar.
Oddly, it reminds me of L's buddy in Baghdad who observed (in reference to US inability to gather intel or maintain local alliances in Iraq): "You ain't no kinda pimp if your own whores don't want to be seen with you."
Crude but insightful.
Continue reading "Reading about Genocide"
Posted by eerie at 08:56 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 07, 2006
Catching up on my reading
I noticed this in mrputter's roadtrip recap:
I have in mind a certain personage; Turkish, preferably. Besuited is an absolute must. Able to converse with lucidity and comfort about world affairs and foreign policy. Oh, and mustn't be afraid of a little HTML, &c. If this describes you or a person you know, then please contact me forthwith. For do I have a deal for you!
An excellent summary of an extended conversation I had recently with mrputter, frandroid, dubaiwalla and a girl who apparently doesn't have an internet identity (how is this possible?). We met for dinner a few weeks back because dubaiwalla was in town and for some reason (likely related to vodka martinis), I decided to elaborate on my various fetishes regarding men.
Continue reading "Catching up on my reading"
Posted by eerie at 10:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 28, 2006
Weekend Observations & Site Updates
Had the unfortunate experience of hanging out at an extremely snobby upscale club this weekend (with Kitten, of course). Cover charge was twice the going rate, which resulted in a room full of young male lawyers (wearing, of all things, business shirts untucked over jeans) strutting around and checking out women (who were in turn preening and likely hoping to get noticed by rich professional males).
Now Kitten and I are both fairly successful young women, so we are not impressed by boring, witless men who announce that they are one of 500 associate attorneys at a giant lawfirm, and then wait for the dull thud of women falling at their feet. Why, I actually expected someone clever and interesting to approach us, only to be terribly disappointed by a pretentious wanker chatting us up about "wine culture" because we looked like the sort of women who could recommend a good red (having only recently taken up this activity, I am hardly in a position to be making recommendations beyond "disgusting" and "tolerable").
Continue reading "Weekend Observations & Site Updates"
Posted by eerie at 05:57 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
August 09, 2006
Groupthink and the Internet
No time to comment on this FT article, but I did find it interesting (or more precisely, rather funny):
Prof Sunstein recognises all the potential flaws of such collaborative projects [Wikipedia, etc]. “For aggregating information, the internet offers great risk as well as extraordinary promise,” he writes. In the digital world, obtaining the views – right or wrong – of millions of people is virtually effortless. “Every day, like-minded people can and do sort themselves into echo chambers of their own design, leading to wild errors, undue confidence, and unjustified extremism,” he says.
The internet as a substrate for demagoguery.
Posted by eerie at 11:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 06, 2006
Best Google Ad Ever
Ah, so many potential jokes, most of which are in poor taste...
Posted by eerie at 03:58 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 01, 2006
Notes on Condi
While L believes Condi has demonstrated stunning incompetence in handling the Lebanon war, I am inclined to give her a bit more credit because she has in the past come across as fairly pragmatic, at least at a tactical level. However, she seems to have been painted into a corner by White House messaging (Lebanon is yet another front for the War on Terror) and Republican/Democrat contests over who is more fervently pro-Israel. And I suppose that "birth pangs" comment was rather stupid, but likely assumed that the IDF would wipe the floor with Hezbollah if given carte blanche by the US, and that the Lebanese would condemn Hezbollah instead of Israel.
Continue reading "Notes on Condi"
Posted by eerie at 01:34 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
July 29, 2006
Thank goodness for smoke detectors
Reason #235 why I shouldn't attempt to cook anything on my own:
Having just fried up some greasy marinated chicken thing, I emptied the pan onto a plate and sat down in front of the TV to eat, proudly congratulating myself for remembering to turn off the burner.
In fact, I turned the bloody dial to High and then failed to notice as my kitchen rapidly filled with acrid smoke. Longtime friends will remember one evening in undergrad where I was so fixated on a computer game that I did not realize the space heater had started burning a corner of my area rug. My buddy (who eventually became my boyfriend, perhaps to save me from myself) wandered into the room and freaked out after I mumbled something about having a slight headache (no doubt from cheap polyester fiber fumes).
Anyway, the screeching smoke detectors probably just saved my life. Good for them, because clearly I'm an idiot.
Posted by eerie at 09:45 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
July 17, 2006
For the Lebanon-weary
A small distraction.
The old Myers-Briggs personality test, reworked as a 10-second blog meme: What's Your Personality Type?
(via kinra)
Like astrology, but with scientific upholstery.
Continue reading "For the Lebanon-weary"
Posted by eerie at 07:50 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 09, 2006
I can't escape the World Cup
So, having just read Lounsbury's heart attack entry on the final, it occured to me that I should run out to the grocery store and pick up some things before downtown descended into anarchy (regardless of who wins, flag waving idiots will show up in my neighbourhood within seconds). A few feet from my apartment, there is a giant television perched on top of a building in front of a busy intersection. Walking outside, I was met with the utterly surreal scene of hundreds of people sitting on the sidewalks staring transfixed at the screen. Normally, it shows captioned sitcoms and other mindless garbage but apparently someone thought it might be a fine idea to broadcast the World Cup final at a major intersection. Traffic had halted completely, with only a bit of halfhearted honking, clearly from drivers who wanted a better view.
Continue reading "I can't escape the World Cup"
Posted by eerie at 04:47 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 04, 2006
Another Livejournal Meme
1. Randomly pick a song from your music library.
2. Find the lyrics for the first four verses/chorus
3. Go to Google translation and translate the lyrics from English into German.
4. Take the new German lyrics and translate them into French.
5. Take the new French lyrics and translate them into English.
6. Post the NEW English lyrics and have people guess the original song.
My translation turned out to be exceedingly funny because I chose this track as my "theme song" during a discussion with some friends a few months back.
Continue reading "Another Livejournal Meme"
Posted by eerie at 06:08 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
June 17, 2006
Returning to my Livejournal roots
A silly and amusing meme, via mrblue92 (aka blue92):
Type each letter of the alphabet into your address bar, one at a time, and list what website it goes to (i.e. first address offered in the autocomplete dropdown).
Answers below the fold.
Continue reading "Returning to my Livejournal roots"
Posted by eerie at 11:08 PM | Comments (18) | TrackBack
May 14, 2006
Revenge of the Book Club
Thankfully, the dinner has been postponed, leaving me with extra time to finish (or vainly attempt to finish) the assigned book. Interestingly, the dimwitted teamaker seems to have a bit of a murderous streak. Perhaps she will in fact kill all the annoyingly emotional women with a strong dose of poisoned tea, just as DrDoug predicted. Ah, one can only hope.
[Read this entry for background]
Posted by eerie at 07:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 28, 2006
Good Afternoon
Maybe it's a bit pathetic, but browsing Abebooks for dusty old things is one of my favourite ways to waste time.
This afternoon's search: Richard Francis Burton, sorted by highest price.
The top result is, predictably, a full set of the Arabian Nights bound in morocco, with gilt edges and illustrations throughout. Valued at $23,000US.
I wonder what kind of person pays that much for a stack of 120 year old books? My set is about 1/30th the cost and still quite lovely.
Posted by eerie at 02:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 20, 2006
Trivial
Very tired, but must make a mental note to read more of Unwilling Self-Negation, a blog by Ali whatshisface.
I don't agree with everything he says, but that's hardly a requirement for appreciating a well-written and thoughtful blog. He emailed me a month ago, I think. Should probably reply and tell him he's interesting. Or not.
Links for later:
On The Couch Interview on Islamic Reform
Time for a short nap. Feel free to start your own discussions in my absence.
Posted by eerie at 06:59 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
April 18, 2006
Battlestar Galactica
After months of hearing friends and co-workers go on about it, I finally picked up the Battlestar Galactica DVD box set. Started watching it at 11pm, but had to stop around 1:30 due to significant other's need for sleep (and my own I suppose, since it is technically a worknight).
So, human civilization is hanging by a thread after systematic and brutal destruction of various planets by odd (possibly monotheistic?) robots, with scads of civilians dying, being left behind, etc.
Can't sleep at all now.
Posted by eerie at 02:27 AM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
April 04, 2006
Whimsy for the Bored
I've found a decent version of my favourite Arabian Nights story online: The Tale of Kamar al-Zaman
It's a long, wonderfully convoluted tale that begins with a quarrel between two jinn, Dahnash (male) and Maymunah (female). The Afriit is in love with one Princess Budur, while the Afriitah has recently become infatuated with Prince Kamar al-Zaman (jinn falling in love with humans is not an uncommon theme, though the expression of this love often amounts to nothing more than kissing them between the eyes while they sleep). The jinn proceed to argue over which human is more lovely and eventually decide that poetry and hearsay will not resolve their quarrel. The sleeping princess is whisked from her chamber and set down next to the sleeping Kamar al-Zaman for direct comparison by the two lovesick Afriit.
Continue reading "Whimsy for the Bored"
Posted by eerie at 12:30 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
March 28, 2006
So much for avoiding memes
I've found another intruiguing online quiz via Ashraf al-Mansur, known as Bernard Pivot's 10 Questions. It might be an interesting exercise to have all the 'Aqoul authors fill out this questionnaire for the bios page (Raf's answers are here).
Continue reading "So much for avoiding memes"
Posted by eerie at 10:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 27, 2006
TypeKey Authentication
After some mucking about, I have enabled a TypeKey authentication system for this blog. Similar to Livejournal's "Friends Only" status, certain entries can only be read by TypeKey-authenticated readers whose accounts have been added to my security group (not that I'm divulging state secrets, merely making my more personal thoughts somewhat private).
If you'd like access to these restricted entries, please leave a comment below using the TypeKey sign-in feature. If you don't have an account, visit the TypeKey site to register. Generally speaking, I don't grant access to random visitors with TypeKey accounts. Only those who seem familiar and "trustworthy" will be able to read protected entries.
Continue reading "TypeKey Authentication"
Posted by eerie at 06:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 24, 2006
As I languish in obscurity
I've created a personal blog to capture my idiotic, half-formed thoughts. It will also serve as a testbed for features that might be implemented on the main 'Aqoul site.
As of now, the site is unlisted and unknown. I may keep it that way.
Continue reading "As I languish in obscurity"
Posted by eerie at 07:56 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
