Nathan Alter:

No swings for you!

nathanx — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:19:57 +0000

A school in West Virginia is getting rid of swings because they’re too dangerous (lawsuit-wise). I suppose playgrounds have gotten rid of seesaws and merry-go-rounds. (I include links for kids who’ve probably never even seen these…they were awesome!) I guess swings had to be next. I predict that a playground in the year 2050 would consist of a series of 2-foot foam domes…each with liability cameras…and some parent will still sue for emotional damage.

sci fi anachronisms

nathanx — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:59:55 +0000

When I’m reading an old sci fi book that’s supposed to take place in the future and they mention things like “data spools” that can “copy at 60 speed” and room-sized computers and paper reports and everybody smoking, I kinda cringe. I know they couldn’t have possibly known what would look terribly outdated later on when they were writing these things in the 50s or whenever. It would have been neat if the authors had given permission to update during republishing so that all the technical stuff could be updated with new technobabble.

oh…drums…nice

nathanx — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:05:45 +0000

We were awakened to marching drums from the nearby high school this morning. I hadn’t thought about that advantage of living near a high school. Apparently, we just have to live with it because the Albuquerque noise ordinance has an exclusion for schools. I suppose we could go to the games and cheer against Volcano Vista or something. Thanks, sports.

Five Guys

nathanx — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:37:33 +0000

We tried out Five Guys burger place. Interesting features: free peanuts, lots of loud employees, and very expensive burgers. The burgers weren’t bad, but weren’t worth what you pay. The Cajun fries were overseasoned and kinda hard and chewy. Go to Fuddrucker’s instead. This must be one of those chains that people are crazy about because it was where they used to live.

tamper resistant outlets strike again?

nathanx — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:49:28 +0000

We had an area of the house on a particular circuit breaker switch. All those outlets on the switch went out at once, but the circuit breaker wasn’t tripped. There were no GFI outlets in that area either. With these annoying tamper resistant outlets that builders are having to use to meet code, you have to jiggle and shake plugs to get them plugged in. In this case, it probably loosened the wiring behind the outlet, which disconnected the other outlets, the electrician said. Seems like the tamper resistant requirement was made without the hardware being ready for primetime.

basket case

nathanx — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:22:13 +0000

The komusō were Japanese priests from long ago who wore baskets over their heads.

tropico steak

nathanx — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:33:03 +0000

Vanessa invented steak served with rice cooked in coconut milk and pineapples. Well, I dunno if she invented it, but it’s not bad!

well that’s easy to remember

nathanx — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:42:02 +0000

Lyrics to “Sun” by Caribou: sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sunsun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun…

Lyrics to “Around the World” by Daft Punk: around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world around the world…

Got SC2

nathanx — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:03:21 +0000

Starcraft 2 arrived and I’ve been playing the campaign a bit. The small amount of screen feels a bit claustrophobic after playing Supreme Commander 2 where you can zoom way out and the HUD isn’t so huge as it is in SC2. Still, super-high-quality art and sound though…and fun! Anyway, I’m nalter@gmail.com so add me to your buddy list.

bike running low on…oil?

nathanx — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:54:06 +0000

I ordered a very tall mountain bike from jensonusa.com. Tall bikes are a bit hard to find locally. I wanted disc brakes because I figured they’d be easier to deal with than V brakes, which always seem to get misaligned. I got the bike and it was mostly assembled, but came with gobs of manuals for the various parts. They really need a quick assembly guide for noobs…there really wasn’t too much to do, but it took me days as I read over all the manuals. I must have applied the brakes with the front wheel off at some point because the front brake pads squeezed together so that they wouldn’t allow the front brake rotor in. That’s when I figured out I have hydraulic brakes that need oil. I had unscrewed the brake assembly trying to get the pads apart and precious oil oozed out. After lots of research, I found out that you just pry the pads apart with a screwdriver. After finally getting the bike set up last night, I rode it a bit…had to get clippy shoes and all. I’ll have to put more oil in that front brake, which will be another adventure. Presta valves are a pain because the cores can’t easily be removed for sliming unless you get special tubes.