Brian Enigma – Page 33

WikiPub: WikiLeaks on your eBook reader

I read. I read a lot. I do not necessarily read as fast as the folks that can power through a book in a weekend, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of it nonetheless. Part of this reading occurs during my daily commute. Recently, I managed to grab a copy of the WikiLeaks … Continue reading WikiPub: WikiLeaks on your eBook reader

In which the gift of spherical ice was received

I have been a Maker’s Mark “ambassador” since early 2002. What does this mean? It means I filled out a postcard for a free shot glass way back when. The shot glass (and a sort of press kit) arrived and in the years since, I have gotten (alongside press kits and glossy marketing sheets) little … Continue reading In which the gift of spherical ice was received

Have you tried switching it off, then on again?

I wrote briefly about it before, but many years ago I used to work as a low-level tech at a virtual reality company. When I wasn’t operating or hacking the system, I was repairing it. These repairs were sometimes a little complex, but 99% of the time, they boiled down to two things. Reboot. If … Continue reading Have you tried switching it off, then on again?

Vegetable and Mixed Rice Casserole

I am perhaps not as great a cook as the lovely and talented Kim. She can make up recipes in her head based on whatever scraps happen to be in the kitchen (“somethin’ outta nuthin’”). She can jump right in to a new recipe with no problem. Me — the first few times I try a … Continue reading Vegetable and Mixed Rice Casserole

Machine of Death, in real life

A couple of weeks ago, I received my copy of Machine of Death. I did not receive an actual machine, but a collection of short stories about a machine that accurately predicts how you will die. Not when. Not where. Not even exactly how. Just a vaguely fortune-cookie-style how, usually with an unforeseen ironic twist. In fact, … Continue reading Machine of Death, in real life

Hipster Exercise

This blog post is a mirror of the Hipster PDA Exercise Card page. Please go there to leave comments. I started the Hundred Pushups and Two-Hundred Situps (technically, crunches) programs a while back. Although it took a couple of attempts, I finally “finished” them — that is, I got up past 100 pushups and 200 … Continue reading Hipster Exercise

The Oxford shoes with the Vibram sole

My Terra Plana Button shoes arrived a couple of days ago. As you may or may not recall, I picked up some Vivo Barefoot shoes early last year and they have been great! The style of teh Barefoot is like old-school Vans slip-ons, but Terra Plana makes them entirely of natural and recycled material. More importantly, … Continue reading The Oxford shoes with the Vibram sole

A moment in the Departure elevator

Last weekend, Kim and I stopped by Departure for a couple of cocktails before dinner. Departure is a fun place with a great atmosphere, although the drinks are a bit spendy and the waitress mixed up my martini order. (I wanted a vodka martini using locally-distilled New Deal vodka and got one with gin instead.) We shared … Continue reading A moment in the Departure elevator

Markdown, PlainText, Dropbox, and shell scripts

I am a big fan of Dropbox, the automatic folder syncing service that keeps a document folder synchronized across all of your computers and handheld devices. I became a bigger fan when I found iPhone apps like PlainText, which acts as a Dropbox-synchronized notepad. You can write notes on your desktop, then see and update … Continue reading Markdown, PlainText, Dropbox, and shell scripts

A survey of iPhone Calculators

For many years, I had a single iPhone calculator app, PCalc. It has worked well for the programming operations I typically do (hex conversion, bitwise math, and the like) and makes a great general-purpose calculator. I even follow the author, @jamesthomson, on Twitter because he often has insightful things to say about iOS applications. Some … Continue reading A survey of iPhone Calculators