Ramblings of a Dragon Winged Fox

Dreamwidth

2009-05-01T15:59:35Z

Just a quick FYI - Dreamwidth is now in open beta, and I have a few invite codes, so if you want them, comment.

Comments are screened so that if you don't think I know you're e-mail address you can feel free to give it. At least, they are if I've set this post up right.

(And, still, anything I'd have posted to lj before I'm going to be crossposting now, so those of you without DW aren't going to lose anything... But I am posting there reasonably frequently [though I believe there's RSS feeds of DW stuff, so if you just want to read me and comment via OpenID/Anonymous comments you should be able to without a DW account])

This post isn't crossposted from Dreamwidth

2009-04-23T16:16:27Z

I'm shifting my primary blog to dreamwidth, was going to say this after it went from closed to open beta, but, ah well.

Now, this isn't to say that I'll stop posting to lj, I have every intention of making just as many lj posts as I have been doing recently, which is to say, the 2-3 per year from me that you guys are liable to be used to. Meanwhile I seem to actually be using dreamwidth semi-regularly for blog posts, so... (Basically - any dreamwidth post that I'd have bothered making as an lj post will be crossposted, and I'll be sticking around lj to use as I've been using for the past couple of years, mainly to read other people's blogs, so...

I'm at http://gizensha.dreamwidth.org - If you want to read my far more frequent dw posts but don't have a dreamwidth account (which, due to closed beta, I'm guessing most of you won't), there is an rss and atom feed of my dreamwidth posts which you can get at from the site. If you want to comment, you can do so via openid.

Why isn't this crossposted from dreamwidth? Because announcing that I'm on dreamwidth on dreamwidth would seem somewhat... Overly surreal. I'm guessing all future posts to lj from me will be, though (though, as I indicated earlier, not all dw posts will be crossposted, just the stuff I'd be posting to lj anyway.)

Pokebattles tenth aniversary

2009-04-15T04:18:01Z

OK, where to start?

In April 1999, a man called Jason Ross started writing a pokemon parody called pokebattles. It evolved into a decent sized community with many, many being written in this format. I discovered it late 2000, and in early 2001 it became the first internet community I was really a part of (Unless you count yahoo chatrooms, which oh god I don't). I also wrote a couple of battles for my own version.

Anyway, for its tenth aniversary, there's been a bit of a revival of it. It's pretty funny, so I do suggest you check it out if you're interested in reading a pokemon parody. And that goes double if you used to read it :)

Relevent links

Pokebattles.com - A central hub, containing a couple of battles and a link to the current forum, as well as archived stuff.
Forum - The current forum
Red - The original pb site, which contains a new Red battle.
Sandy - Umm... The new battles I've been writing for about a month now...

Stuff

2008-07-15T00:22:03Z

1) Yeah, still alive.

2) Since I last posted, I graduated from uni. First Hons.

3) Meme.

If LiveJournal were an anime...
LiveJournal Username
Do you watch anime?
Do you speak Japanese?
Do you read Japanese?
What if LiveJournal were an anime?
Pick a Beach Boys song.

The performer of the opening theme	dragonblaze
The magical girl	misteral
The talking animal	raimei
The lecherous old man	dragonblaze
The teenager who uses ancient magic to win games	joeygatorman
The fifteen-year-old Japanese girl with blond hair and a D cup	cassienibbles
Number of seasons it would last	16,142


This Fun Quiz created by Elizabeth at BlogQuiz.Net

Weight Loss Tips at WeightLossTips.TV

New default userpic

2008-04-30T23:49:35Z

...AKA - I'm still alive, despite my posting frequency. Trying to get this dissertation that's due in in about two weeks finished, but alive.

I still have my old default, although I don't expect to use that often anymore, which was taken from a wallpaper drawn for me by raimei some time ago. My new userpic is again taken from a wallpaper (my first new wallpaper since), this time one drawn for me by rkniner. Thanks to both of them :)

haunter_uk @ 2008-04-14T05:21:00

2008-04-14T04:21:17Z

It is way too long since I listened to this soundtrack.

That is all.

Photographicality

2008-04-11T21:21:46Z

While I was down in Buxton and the surrounding area, I took some holiday snaps, and uploaded a relatively small sample.

In no particular order:

The directory for the full set is here

GPS

2008-03-06T10:58:23Z

So, I've decided I want to get a GPS.

The trouble is, I don't have a clue what sort of things I need to consider, what features would be useful for me, etc. Could someone give me some sort of 'beginners guide to buying a GPS' style advise/checklist of considerations or somesuch?

This post is your general proof of my being still alive

2008-02-13T23:56:57Z

So, I'm still alive.

Planning on giving learning Lojban a go.

A couple of rpg books arrive tommorrow.

My end of unit exam went well, but I think I cocked up both my Java and my Expert Systems assignments.

As for the reason for the mood? Within 48 hours, a good friend (ciaran_h) will be here for a couple of days.

Who says the only way code can be aesthetically pleasing is in it's efficiency and function?

haunter_uk @ 2007-12-19T15:21:00

2007-12-19T15:21:49Z

So, finally got round to looking at Flex a little as prep for starting my expert systems assignment, and... It's scary. Not in the same way that Prolog is scary, in a really creepy way that you look at the code you've done and you realise that what you've written looks more like a comment of the sort you see in tutorial examples explaining what a line of code is doing than actual code. To the point that it actually makes you write out greater than in words (...You know, that one you'd have thought that I'd be greatful for what with the mild dyslexia...)

Easier to read than most languages, sure, but... Horrendous to find why it's not compiling for the exact same reason that proof reading one's own prose writing is hard. Looking for missing bits of code, and misspelt variables, easy. Looking for 'Oh I've used in instead of is in that sentence' is hellish.

Otherwise - 70% on the Java assignment. Would have been higher, but 40% of the assignment was report writing. (Actual marks - 48/60 on the design/code section, 22/40 on the report)

Incidently, if anyone's on Twitter (Interesting little social networking concept based around the question 'what are you doing now'), I'm Gizensha on it.

Well, damn

2007-12-13T17:46:21Z

So, I got my AI assignment in today. Only to get home and realise that I forgot to change my temporary 'I haven't yet done my bibliography' citations to propper citations.

So I'll have to go in tommorrow and hand the bloody thing in again... Ah well, since I'm doing that I might see if I can get a propper answer to that 2 marker I couldn't get working rather than some code that doesn't work and a hack that gives the right answer at the expense of 'it won't work if a new product gets added'...

The Annual Pre-Christmas Assignment Rush

2007-12-07T23:39:25Z

So... This year...

The Programming Distributed Systems assignment, was due last week on Friday, so it's only included for completeness sake. It was worth 50% of a module, for 0.25 Units out of the 3.5 units I have this year. The fact my programs worked and worked reasonably well (as in, they didn't break while people behaved themselves [yay for lack of validation X_x] should ensure I get at least a 60-70% for the things, even though I was talking crap during the researchywaffle section.)

On Wednesday I have my interim report (both a report and a presentation) for my dissertation. Overall, the two are worth 10% of my dissertation, which is worth 1.5 units, so that bit is worth 0.15 units of 3.5 units.

Next Friday I have my Prolog assignment due in, which includes a 10 mark researchywaffle question. It's 60 marks in total, and worth 15% of it's module, which is in turn worth 0.5 units... So that's 0.075 units of 3.5 units

...I'm also going Christmas shopping tommorrow, and I'm not so sure it's a good idea to do a question on an assignement while mildy intoxicated... But I'm considering doing the maths question on the AI assignment now (2 marks of 60, so it's not a huge deal if I balls it up completely)

The main thing I wonder is why I'm always surprised when every bloody assignment is due in about a week before we break up for Christmas. This is the fifth year it's happened in a row.

haunter_uk @ 2007-11-14T23:15:00

2007-11-14T23:15:49Z

I woke up at 6pm.

Yesterday.

11:15pm today now.

Goodnight.

haunter_uk @ 2007-11-13T05:15:00

2007-11-13T05:15:21Z

Hmm. I think I'm having some momentum problems again. (Of the 'not able to get round to starting things' sort, not the 'not able to finish things' sort)

Forgot to post this in October, but I've recently had a MindMap update:

Lovely Ladies on Beautiful Bikes

MindMap

Geeky Gameshow Query

2007-11-04T21:36:27Z

Say, does anyone happen to remember (or is able to look it up) the tasks in the C4 gameshow The Search from last year?

Not actually interested in all of them as such (Though, would still be interested - A list of all nine mini-tasks in all 7(?) episodes would be very appreciated for general curiosity sake, mainly what codes were used throughout the series. Though things along those lines which aren't technically codes (the sheet with holes, the sealed wax ball, etc) but can still be used for secure message passing. It's just that I seem to recall there being some nice codes/etc featured in it, and am wondering what each one was so I can look up details about them via wikipedia, etc.

Thanks :)

Hmm

2007-10-23T02:37:16Z

Been watching Flight of the Conchords on BBC4, hillarious stuff. To the point that I've pre-ordered the dvd and ordered the BBC radio show from amazon.

There should be a gameshow called Dicing With Disaster. It would be a risk/reward management game, probably involving dice. Maybe something of a hybrid between the board game Can't Stop and the gameshow Press Your Luck?

Haven't done a meme for a while, I think

2007-10-22T21:27:58Z

Comment, and I will comment back with a picture of the fictional character that most reminds me of you. Then post the same in your journal.

haunter_uk @ 2007-10-21T22:16:00

2007-10-21T21:16:06Z

...So... Finnish rock band Lordi are doing a horror movie, playing the monsters. The movie is to be called Dark Floors.

Thanks mostly to the sentence of "Concerned for his autistic daughter’s health, the father sees a removal from the hospital by force as the only option." in the synopsis on it's wikipedia page, I have absolutely no idea how to react to this news. I guess we'll have to wait and see for how pro/anti cure the film leans, and how stereotypically she's portrayed. The 'the father sees a removal from the hospital by force' is certainly a positive sign on the 'pro/anti cure' front, though, but... The 'it soon becomes clear that the survival of the group may rest solely on the little girl' sounds far too autistic savant stereotype for me to get excited on the portrayal front...

haunter_uk @ 2007-10-15T01:34:00

2007-10-15T00:34:38Z

I started final year of college propperly last week. The units so far seem fairly enjoyable, so that's good.

I could use a hug, though, and of the friend sort rather than the parent sort...

Sensory Overload and Space Giraffe

2007-08-24T03:00:23Z

Earlier today, KP/SirQuirkyK, whatever you want to call him, asked me about Space Giraffe from a sensory overload point of view. And I've been thinking about what he asked me, because... As far as I can tell, he should be right.

Space Giraffe is a game where all senses have to be taking in more or less everything (Ok. By 'all' I mainly mean 'sight and hearing', not much smell involved in videogames. At least, not yet.) that's going on at once, which throws several hundred things to keep an eye/ear on, places it in a psychodelic environment and provides a highly rhymic background music.

And yet, somehow, this is easier for me to process than, say, a busy cafe or a train station.

Why is this? I'm not entirely certain, it could be the way the things don't need interpriting in the same way as the real world does due to them being completely abstract. Alternatively, it could be the fact that everything is coming from a single source (the television set) so I can play while focusing on a single stimuli. My instincts is that it basically operates on the same principle to a stim toy, though, in terms of providing stimulation without overloading senses, although I'm not entirely sure what that principle actually is when it comes to 'this causes sensory overload, this helps reduce sensory overload while providing sensory input. I think it's something todo with a sensory input source that you can focus on to the exclusion of all else, but I'm not 100% certain of that. Whatever the reason, however, I'm glad my senses work the way they do since the game is absolutely marvelous.

...Though I really want to make it so that I can get onto the first level with feedback monsters (they're so pretty when they get shot~) with three lives so that I can start on it while getting a starting bonus. Ah well, something to work on (Which seriously needs work, while the first time I got through that level I started on it so that I was on 3 lives at the start (and 1 at the end), this time I was on... 8 or 9 at the start and... 1 at the end.

...And I still say I'm worse than my positions on the leaderboards would indicate. I mean, for the love of... Not only to spiralling levels sometimes confuse my sense of direction, but I managed to misread a level and thought I was somewhere I wasn't in my last game. Not in terms of 'thinking something else was me', more 'thinking I was somewhere that nothing was' No clue how I survived the five seconds it took me to figure out that no, I was somewhere else, but...

Pretty flashing lights

2007-08-23T07:56:06Z

So, got Space Giraffe on XBLA yesterday, when it came out. Played it for a few hours, then went to bed about midday.

Fantastic game, pretty visuals. The really cool thing I've found about it so far is that the game is that you can't play the game on autopilot, but you also can't let your conscious mind focus on your senses because otherwise you'll miss stuff, so you need to think about how to do well, but in such a way that your not consciously focusing on the action, because otherwise you'll miss something really, really important.

...Though that might also be something todo with the fact I can't consciously read stages beyond about 13 (my last game ended because my conscious mind started trying to rather than simply making decisions and sitting back to enjoy the light show), so I have to let something pretty primal, and I presume that it is specifically that part of the brain that doesn't know the difference between sight, sound, taste, touch and smell, to the point that it lets you see with your tongue if given the right hardware.

...Oh, and how I can percieve myself to suck while getting into the top 20 in the hardcore leaderboard. That's pretty suprising as well. (Suck at getting large enough bulling attacks to get a decent bonus multiplier, suck at cultivating flowers, and every so often I'll mistime stuff totally so that the bullet I was trying to juggling hits me, and I get suprised everytime the game tells me I did better than average on a level)

...The colours are still dancing behind my eyelids from the run I did a couple of hours ago...

And now off to bed.

haunter_uk @ 2007-08-13T02:19:00

2007-08-13T01:19:41Z

Autscape was fun this year. Prehaps more so than last year, prehaps less so. Hard to quantify.

Anyway. Meme.

- Pick your birth month.
- Strike out anything that doesn't apply to you.
- Bold the five-ten that best apply to you.
- Copy to your own journal, with all twelve months under a lj-cut.

JANUARY:
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY:
Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH:
Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved.Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL:
Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people's problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY:
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and ~~highly motivated~~. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. ~~Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally.~~ Firm Standpoint. ~~Needs no motivation. Easily consoled.~~ Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. ~~Strong clairvoyance.~~ Understanding. Sickness usually in the ~~ear and~~ neck. Good imagination. ~~Good physical. Weak breathing.~~ Loves literature and the arts. ~~Loves traveling. Dislike being at home.~~ Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. ~~High spirited. Spendthrift.~~

JUNE:
Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY:
Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST:
Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER:
Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people's mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER:
Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn't pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER:
Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER:
Loyal and generous. Sexy.Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Just an OKCupid test...

2007-07-24T06:25:17Z

...I still say Question 2 is a geography question.

Your Score: Quark-gluon plasma

82% Particle Physics Knowledge

Wow! You are HOT!

Either you are an amazing arm-chair physicist, an actual physicist, or are dating a physicist. If not, you should consider it. You certainly have been paying attention to what is going on in physics. To even further your physics knowledge (there will be some amazing new discoveries soon!) try reading http://physics.physorg.com/. ; You will likely be able to appreciate a lot of it!

Link: The particle physics knowledge Test written by ackey on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

haunter_uk @ 2007-07-16T05:15:00

2007-07-16T04:15:34Z

Strawberries and Cream - How to clog your arteries and not feel guilty about it because it's fruit.

haunter_uk @ 2007-06-03T04:32:00

2007-06-03T03:32:28Z

Theoretical Geometry question:

Is it possable for a shape to have three and a half sides? If so, what does that *mean* as far as what it's doing, what it's properties are, and how the hell it can be so? And what would one look like if one were to see a three and a half sided shape?