I’m learning how to play the violin and the results thus far are less than encouraging, bordering on abysmal. The toughest parts are:

» Controlling the bow. The stupid thing floats all over the place. It’s been difficult to keep the bow in contact with the sweet spot of the strings and maintain an even pressure.

» Fingering the notes. I’m a guitar player and playing without frets is a major obstacle for me. Plus, the fingerboard is really small - at least compared to a guitar.

» Reading music. I can read music. I can play an instrument. I can’t do both at the same time. So basically my learning process is; read music, play it on the guitar, transpose to violin, and pray for the best.

Even though it’s been a challenge, it feels good to branch out a little bit.

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Random thoughts after going to school for the past 12 years with classmates who are literally young enough to be my children.

» Guys are really into Call of Duty
» (almost) Everyone loves hip-hop - especially suburban kids
» Tattoos are everywhere
» Same for piercings
» Old guys (like me) are invisible for the most part, except when test time rolls around.
» Fantasy football is HUGE
» No one uses cell phones to talk.
» Professors are mostly sympathetic to kids who need additional help

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I’ve just finished my degree requirements for my bachelors in computer science. It took me 12 years but I’m finally done and I would never have finished without my wife’s help. She took care of the kids, helped with their homework, made breakfasts/lunches/dinners, gave me a push when I needed one, managed the kids school functions, taxied everyone everywhere, and handled a million other things without ever complaining and always with a smile on her face. She’s a great wife and mother and I’m lucky to be married to her.

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Awesome engineering flowchart on 37 signals today.

Filed under: work, ralph by: ralph
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The Global Post site has the top ten weird facts about Kim Jong Il. Some interesting ones:

» According to his official biography (which has since been taken down), Kim Jong Il didn’t defecate.
» He shot a 38 under par with 11 holes in one on North Korea’s only golf course - the very first time he picked up a club!
» While at Kim Il Sung University, he apparently wrote 1,500 books over a period of three years, along with six full operas.

It’s too bad he died. I would’ve paid good money to see him and Chuck Norris fight.

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Cool article on Slate about the weaponization of Nerf toys. I’m old enough to remember when Nerf was primarily known for indoor sports toys. Why couldn’t these have been out when I was a kid?

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The only thing I want for Christmas is to celebrate next Christmas with all my family and friends again.

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Shouldn’t humans have evolutionarily eliminated snoring by now? Snoring would have been a significant disadvantage to early man. Noisily sleeping prey should not have lasted long enough to pass on the trait to their offspring. I can’t imagine the evolutionary/reproductive advantage that snoring entails.

btw - I snore. Loudly. My wife reminds me of it regularly.

Filed under: science, ralph by: ralph
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I don’t know if numbers are real.

I’m taking a class in number theory and I’ve been daydreaming about what numbers really are. I don’t think they’d exist outside of human (or alien/sentient being) comprehension. The question then becomes - is intelligence/sentience a natural state of the universe? Does it occur naturally in multiple places? I would think the answer to this is yes. And if this is true, then yes - numbers are real. In addition, if numbers are measures, then they would exist so long as there is a measurer (or Measurer) to comprehend them. So in the case of a) alien intelligence, or b) the existence of God, numbers are real.

But.

I just can’t shake the feeling they’re a construct that wouldn’t exist without man. Do mathematicians go through crises of faith? I’m not sure.

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Maybe it’s me, but the whole “I’ve been blessed…” thing gets on my nerves. There’s a smugness to it that I find off-putting. I know that many (most?) are simply expressing gratitude at their good fortune, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a significant subset of people for whom “I’ve been blessed.” translates into “God likes me better than you because I believe xyz and you (who are obviously a heathen and therefore rank lower on God’s friend list) do not.”

Am I wrong?

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