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Aside from just putting it out with the trash, is there a good way to get some value out of an old computer? I want to get rid of one that's been sitting around a long time, that ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ppaladin and I got second-hand. It's a dual pentium 3 server box, probably a $10k box when new, and it has an incredibly beefy (i.e. it weighs like 50 lbs) case with redundant power supplies, which might be useful to someone building a server. It works; I was running some web apps on it recently and it had over 360 days of uptime when I decommissioned it in May 2008.
It would be great to sell it, give it away to a good place, or at least dispose of it in an environmentally friendly fashion. Any ideas?
(Also looking to give away a folding roll-away bed, if anyone's interested... and thank you for reading!)
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I sing in a Georgian music choir called Nateli, and we have a performance coming up next Sunday. It's a 30-40 minute set of songs performed in small (3-6 singer) ensembles. The performance space is rumored to have excellent acoustics for our music and I'm rather looking forward to this concert. If you're in the area, check it out.
Night Prayer, 30 minutes of chant, prayers and meditation
Sunday, February 11th at 8:30 PM
Episcopal Parish of the Messiah
1900 Commonwealth Ave
Auburndale (Newton) MA
617.312.8328
map |
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Singer/songwriter Jonathan Coulton will be giving a concert in Boston on Wednesday September 27. It'll be at the Paradise Lounge at 10:30pm, $10. Very late, but I'd love to go with some friends.
If you haven't heard his music yet, I'd recommend the songs "Skullcrusher Mountain", "Ikea", "Gambler's Prayer", "The Town Crotch", and "Shop Vac". "Tom Cruise Crazy" is pretty good too.
So who's interested in coming along?Current Music: duh, Jonathan Coulton |
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A couple of weeks ago I bought myself a little stovetop espresso maker. Since then, with shellaby's help, I've acquired a coffee grinder and some beans that don't suck, and have been drinking pretty good, wicked strong coffee every morning. So this morning, like many before it, I went downstairs, cleaned up the various steel components, added water, added coffee, screwed the pieces together, and set it on the stove.
Ahh, I thought. With this latest adjustment to the grind setting and the correct water level in the pot, I will be getting the best coffee possible from these beans. I tasted a bean... hmm, not bad, but something a teensy bit darker and possibly more fresh might reduce the bitterness of the final result. I paused to reflect on my sophistication in conjecturing subtle relationships between inputs and outputs in a process executed daily by millions of Italian households.
 The stovetop espresso maker is a cool little device. Water goes in the bottom. A funnel with a filter at the top holds the coffee grounds. As the water in the bottom chamber is heated by the stove, steam is produced. The steam, having much lower density than liquid water, creates pressure in the bottom chamber that drives the coffee up the funnel's narrow end and then through the coffee. Then another funnel in the upper chamber leads the coffee into a holding area where it awaits trial by special coffee tribunal. Er, I mean, where you can pour it into a cup and drink it.
The whole brewing process takes about 5 minutes. Most of the time is spent waiting for the water to heat up; it only takes about a minute to gurgle through the coffee once it gets started. And here I struck on the finest, most sophisticated revelation of them all: now that I'm a certified stovetop espresso guru, I don't need to stay in the kitchen, waiting for the first signs of incredibly dark liquid pouring to the top chamber. I could go do something else, and as long as I came back within about 3 minutes, I'd be just in time to let the brewing finish and pour myself a delicious cup of lighter fluid for my mind. So I went upstairs to read "just a couple of things" on my computer.
After about 30 minutes, I became aware of a faint burnt-coffee smell. Whoops. Perhaps I'll be less absent-minded after I get my morning caffeine. |
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My alma mater finally makes Overheard in New York:
November 27, 2005
Teen girl #1: Do you have your final college list yet?
Teen girl #2: It's not exactly done.
Trannie: Seniors?
Teen girl #2: Yep!
Trannie: Either of you applying to Williams? I went there!
Teen girl #1: I was looking at it, but I'm not so sure.
--1 train
Overheard by: michal
Unbelievable. |
| » My life is absurdly good. |
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Here is an update on my life for people who haven't seen me in a while. I sent it to a friend in response to a mass "I moved, I miss you, write to me" email she sent, but I figured I might as well post it here too.
My life is amazingly good. Work has recently gotten more engaging than ever before, and in an ironic coincidence I have been getting more employment offers from other people than I've ever gotten before. I am trying to figure out what the best next steps are in my career
path, which I hope will eventually lead to founding a startup focusing on building software that helps people learn from each other in some fashion. Also, last week I launched a project called Voo2do, a little free web application I made that helps busy people keep track of all the tasks they need to do. (I wrote it for myself and it really helped.) I've been pleasantly surprised by the response, as over 1300 users have signed up in under a week. Users don't pay me or anything (the website says "if you like it, smile at a stranger today"), but it's rewarding to provide a valuable service to people and lots of them send me compliments and suggestions. And a couple of job offers.
On top of that, I have a wonderful girlfriend named Nicole. I'm not as comfortable gloating about her as I (apparently) am about my career as a geek, but suffice it to say that she is another major reason I'm so happy and at ease. Also, I like Boston, it's summer, and the other night for dinner I had little sandwiches on one of those little hors d'oeuvre breads with fresh mozarella, cucumbers, and prosciutto. At 9pm.
Aug. 23rd, 2005 @ 09:48 am
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| » Travel California vicariously through me! |
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Next week, I'll be taking a roadtrip in California (after recursivepizza's wedding in Kansas). I need your advice on people to visit and places to see! The last round of comments was especially helpful, and my friend and I are still quite flexible in our travel plans.
Currently the approximate plan is this:
Sun 7/24: arrive in San Diego
Mon 7/25: San Diego beaches, zoo??
Tue 7/26: drive to San Francisco
Wed 7/27: hang out in SF with Coleman, Jesse
Thu 7/28: more SF: the city, or some Silicon valley, or beaches, Monterey Aquarium, museuems, etc.
Fri 7/29: down to LA; see Jenny in Pasadena and Beth in Santa Monica
Sat 7/30: LA; drive back to SD
Sun 7/31: catch 7:45am flight back to Boston
Offers of places to sleep and specific non-city things to do along the way (Napa Valley is intriguing) are especially appreciated.
Jul. 18th, 2005 @ 02:47 pm
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| » Pants pants pants |
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stealthmuffin had a funny meme:
Put your playlist on shuffle.
Document the first 20 songs that come up and add 'in your pants'.
1. A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario in Your Pants
2. Miles Davis - My Funny Valentine in Your Pants
3. Leo Kottke - Airproofing in Your Pants
4. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees in Your Pants
(holy crap, these are great!)
5. Kris Delmhorst - Hummingbird in Your Pants (even funnier if you know the song, which you don't because Delmhorst is just a local singer-songwriter and this song is not even that good)
6. Cirque de Soleil / Quidam - Innocence in Your Pants
7. track from a performance of Handel's music by Le Concert des Nation - Music for the Royal Fireworks in Your Pants
8. Simon and Garfunkel - America in Your Pants
9. Radiohead - Bones in Your Pants (!!!)
10. Blues Brothers soundtrack - Rawhide in Your Pants
(I am listening, at least to part of each song, as I type this. And I can't believe how well it's turning out. "Move 'em on, head 'em up, roll 'em in, rawhide in your pants")
11. Yo Yo Ma performs Flight of the Bumblebee in Your Pants (ouch!)
12. Leo Kottke - Sonora's Death Row in Your Pants
13. Allman Brothers Band - Blue Sky in Your Pants
14. Consort of Musicke performs Monteverdi's madrigal, Io moro, ecco ch'io moro in vostri pantaloni
15. 5Nizza (a Russian band, pronounced Pyatnitza) - Ya Soldat v'tvayi Shtani (I'm a Soldier in Your Pants)
16. Nicola Conta - La Coda del Diavolo in Vostri Pantaloni (The Tail of the Devil in Your Pants)
17. Air - You Make it Easy in Your Pants
18. Williams College Choir - Lux Aeterna in Vestri Pardus (Eternal Light in Your Pants)
19. (Handel repeat)
20. Consort of Musicke performs Monteverdi's madrigal, Misero, Alceo in vostri pantaloni (Poor Alceo in your pants, according to Google)
Honorable mentions:
Hilliard Ensemble performs Wilbye's Sweet Hony Sucking Bees in Your Pants
Ibrahim Ferrer - Aquellos Ojos Verdes en Sus Pantalones (Those Green Eyes in Your Pants)
Ralph Stanley - Calling my Children Home in Your Pants
James Taylor - You've Got a Friend in Your Pants
Wow, that was way better than I would have imagined. Pants rock!
Jul. 13th, 2005 @ 10:17 am
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| » Professor Membrane or... GIR??? |
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This is my first and possibly last quiz meme, but I can't resist an Invader Zim appeal. Notice how I am teetering on the edge between Gir and Membrane... I didn't even imagine such an edge existed.
 | You scored as Professor Membrane. You are PROFESSOR MEMBRANE! Gaz and Dib's scientest-tv star father, you love saving the world and science.
Gir | | 83% | Professor Membrane | | 83% | Zim | | 67% | The Allmighty Tallest | | 67% | Dib | | 50% | Gaz | | 33% | Ms. Bitters | | 17% | </td>
Which Invader Zim Charecter are You?
created with QuizFarm.com |
Jun. 13th, 2005 @ 11:17 am
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| » New Century Voices Concert, Sunday 6/19 4pm in Harvard Sq |
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The choir I'm in, New Century Voices, has a concert coming up this Sunday 6/19. It's at the Swedenborg Chapel in Cambridge, MA. Swedenborg Chapel is located at the corner of Quincy and Kirkland streets near Harvard Square. The suggested donation is $10.
New Century Voices is dedicated to performing new works by local composers. The performance will include the premier of Michael Veloso's "All Natural Male Enhancement," a piece written on texts from e-mail Spam. Other local composers represented will include Elizabeth Knight, who is a student at Longy, Krishan Oberoi from Rhode Island and Jeremy Jennings. We also include works of some better known composers, Randall Thompson, Edward Elgar and Paul Hindemith; the "Six Chansons," on texts by Rainer Maria Rilke.
If you like choral music, there is definitely something here you'll like; if not, there are a few things you'll at least laugh at. I hope to see many of you there.
A reception will follow the concert. All proceeds go to the Swedenborg Chapel. (The Swedenborg Chapel is the stone church on the corner of Quincy and Kirkland streets, across the road from Memorial Hall and Sanders Theatre.)
IN OTHER NEWS, the ice cream at Bedford Farms, a local ice cream vendor with shops in Bedford and Concord, is *excellent*. If you want a sumptuous, sophisticated, exotic ice cream, stick with Toscanini's. But if you want a fun blend of tasty things all smooshed together, Bedford Farms' White River Junction may have just edged out anything I've had from Herrel's. Also, the $4.75 "large" waffle cone I got had at least 6 scoops of ice cream, required a spare cup, and provided a healthy brunch for two people. :)
Jun. 13th, 2005 @ 10:03 am
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| » Going to California |
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After recursivepizza's wedding in Kansas, I'll be
going to San Diego for a week-long road trip through California with my
best friend from high school. I will arrive on Sunday, July 24 and
leave on Sunday, July 31. In between, we'd like to visit fun people and
see interesting places. We will certainly make stops in LA and San
Francisco, but the week is still very flexible at this point.
I've only been to California once, and briefly, so I'm looking for
suggestions. Do you live in California? Do you have kind family members
there who want to lend us some sleeping space? Do you have favorite
places to go -- flashy and touristy or hidden and amazing?
Do tell.
Jun. 8th, 2005 @ 02:59 pm
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| » If you had to change one thing |
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It's hard to confront problems. Whether you need to honestly evaluate the status of a project, understand where someone has difficulty working with you, or just reflect on ways things could be better, it's hard to call out something as bad.
My favorite technique for working around this is to ask "if you had to change one thing, what would you change?" This makes it feel somehow more theoretical: you're under this hypothetical compulsion to call something out, without having to judge whether it's actually bad or just not quite as great. That is important in and of itself, because you want to think in terms of what alternatives and improvements may be available to you, not in absolute terms of good or bad.
So next time you want honest criticism, try asking this question. I'm especially fond of using it in job interviews and other judgment-focused situations to defuse the worry that honesty will offend.
Feel free to comment: if you could change one thing about yourself or your company, what would you change?
May. 4th, 2005 @ 10:36 am
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| » Cute Dogs in Harvard Square |
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 Last weekend, I dog-sat for a friend of mine who lives near Harvard Square. His own grown-up male Samoyed, Alex, was joined by a younger female cousin named Roxanne. Alex, Roxy, and I traipsed around Harvard, ran around the yard, and played at home. Alex was very tired, so I took Roxy with me while I got lunch at the Hi-rise bakery (near Burdick's; outdoor terrace).
If you're ever feeling alone in the world, like no one will give you the time of day, try walking a cute dog on a sunny day in the city. At one point, a whole carload of five girls stopped to tell me they liked my dog. Students chattered about the puppy, Cantabrigians smiled, and Asian tourists stood in poses of distant admiration.
Forget the fast car, now I want to get a puppy.
More pictures: Alex and Roxanne.
(Photo at right borrowed from the blog of Kyle Nicholls, Roxanne's owner.)
Apr. 22nd, 2005 @ 03:47 pm
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| » Choir |
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In my choir, New Century Voices, we are singing a rather amusing piece (by sen_no_ongaku). In one part, there is a canon featuring the words "Hot sex" over and over again.
Needless to say, this provides for an endless variety of hilarious scenarios during rehearsal. The best so far went like this:
Basses and Tenors (singing): hot sex, hot sex, hot sex.
Conductor: OK, now let's do the women's hot sex.
Shimon: And we just get to sit back and watch...
I was a little embarassed to have said that out loud, but judging by the fits of laughter it was worth it.
I love singing.
Feb. 9th, 2005 @ 10:37 am
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| » Well, that was stupid |
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A year and a couple of weeks ago, I bought my car. So this month, it's time to renew my Massachusetts safety inspection sticker and registration. I'm a procrastinator, so I haven't done anything before today. But I'm feeling guilty, so I go to the Mass RMV website and pay them $41 to renew my registration.
Then I notice that while the inspection sticker definitely expires in January, the registration doesn't expire until April. I guess that explains why I didn't get a renewal notice.
I'm not sure it's reasonable for me to complain that I had more time than I expected... but why the fuck is registration on a 16 month cycle? I mean... SIXTEEN? WTF?
Now I just have to take the car to some gas station and pay a guy $29 to make sure it can stop and honk properly.
Jan. 28th, 2005 @ 03:11 pm
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| » OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG |
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You guys are going to love Strindberg & Helium.
Jan. 20th, 2005 @ 03:37 pm
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| » Sleep |
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Yesterday evening I wanted to hack on frassle, but was too sleepy and distractable. So I cooked a frozen (it's not delivery...) pizza for dinner and watched a couple of episodes of Futurama on my computer. Enveloped in a La-z-boy chair, stomach full, and with a fleece throw on my lap, I got very comfortable... and woke up at 3:00am.
At which point I sat back at my computer and optimized SQL generation for two hours.
Going back to sleep just two hours before my 7:15 alarm has some interesting consequences. I'm not at all tired this morning, but I did wake up in the midst of REM sleep. This means that I was in a dream, or several dreams tied together. The dreams were so pleasant that when my alarm went off, I actually panicked in the dream and ran around my dream room hitting snooze buttons. There were surprisingly many alarm clocks, and at one point I distinctly remember hitting one that changed the cacophony of alarms to something quieter and simpler -- I had been dreaming an extra alarm overlay to my real alarm.
In one wonderful bit of dream, I was walking down a residential street not far from the house where I grew up in Cincinnati. But I was wearing some sorts of stilts that roughly doubled the length of my legs. I was so expert at the use of these stilts that I was able to perform complex balancing maneuvers, such as kneeling down on one stilt while lifting my other leg behind me as a counterweight, and picking up things off of the ground. This sort of balancing is physically impossible -- your center of gravity would definitely tip you over -- and the extra leverage of the longer stilts would overwhelm your quadriceps. But in the dream I was thrilled at the ease with which I was able to handle it. I picked up a sheet of red fabric, and continued dancing down the street, kneeling down and reaching out to draw huge circles around me with the fabric.
I wonder if one could make stilts (braces?) like these by adding extra weight to the end of the non-dominant leg. I think the strain to the dominant leg's knee and quadricep would be prohibitively high, which may explain why you don't see this in Cirque de Soleil.
In a different but also wondeful dream, I was travelling with a bunch -- a bus or airplane full -- of Swedish girls. They seemed to be slightly younger than me, at an age where I could tell they were cute but it would have bordered on creepy for me to do anything about it. That wasn't an issue in the dream though. Perhaps they were from a science high school, because I remember seeing them all with papers or journals typeset in the characteristic Computer Modern font from the LaTeX document system, loaded with vowel-heavy Swedish text.
I remember telling some guy who was sitting next to me what a great country Sweden is. I noted that they have the efficiency, wealth, and cleanliness of Switzerland but the women are **way** better looking. This is mostly true; they are perhaps a bit poorer per capita but Scandinavia obliterates most of Europe in genetics and style, as well as furniture and car manufacturing. The winters are a bitch, though.
Perhaps this was mostly a fond recollection of my college choir's tour to Sweden, Estonia, Finland in summer 2003. There were indeed dozens of cute girls travelling with me then. And with the brutal winters, Sweden (at least Stockholm) really cuts loose in the summer.
Oh, there was also one part where I was parallel parking some cheap-piece-of-junk stick-shift hatchback on the way to the airport. I parked next to a fairly well-maintained Edsel, which is an oddly-styled American classic car. I don't know how this related to the rest of the dream.
Jan. 18th, 2005 @ 09:20 am
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| » (No Subject) |
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Well, it's time to wave hello to the cluster of people I know on livejournal. I was managing to avoid LJ, maintaining my own goofy blog, but when recursivepizza
announced his engagement over LJ and I didn't know for two days, well, then it was time for
drastic action.
So, here I am. My name is Shimon Rura. And I will never be wanting for gossip again.
Dec. 29th, 2004 @ 07:29 pm
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