Well, a viking is sort of like a pirate, right?

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 02:20 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Announcing the Skepchick 2006 Calendar. Order yours today.

Tell 'em Pixy sent you.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 12:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Redhead Viking. Where You Lived: Tibet. How You Died: Decapitation.

(via La Belle Dame au Fromage)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 12:23 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 I was a Kind Alchemist from Peru...sounds like the start of a limerick, doesn't it? As soon as I can think of a rhyme for "decapitation" I'll get right on it...

Posted by: Susie at September 19, 2005 02:26 PM (a0oF7)

2 In Poland, an old insane priest
Was asked to the King's for a feast
He got buried alive
For a charity drive
But, somehow, was never released...
(Yeah, I could do a limerick on mine.)

Posted by: Kathy K at September 20, 2005 05:46 AM (w9ajD)

3 Aww, I bet you're cute in a wooly beast's skin and a beard!
Happy (belated at this point, I'm betting) birthday, Sir Pixy! You are a God among mere mortals!
Slavishly devoted (after all these years),
M

Posted by: Margi at September 20, 2005 03:19 PM (nwEQH)

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There are nations in Africa that have no Senators at all, yet America has one hundred of them.

Help Africa help itself: Donate a Senator today.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:08 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I'm not dead, I've just been messing about in the engine room of the good ship Munuvia. Basically, I have time to do that, or to blog, but not both. I'll have to change the flags here every so often just so you know I'm still alive.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:52 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Horseradish?

Posted by: Light & Dark at September 14, 2005 04:57 AM (+Ds2b)

2 I was just about to ask that...
Potato salad or macaroni?

Posted by: Wonderduck at September 14, 2005 05:18 AM (+rGmJ)

3 It's times like this I can put my MBA to use:
.
.
.
.
Would you like fries and a coke with that?

Posted by: phin at September 14, 2005 05:40 AM (Xvpen)

4 S... C... B?... I...
Um... they've got medication for that these days, I think.

Posted by: Wonderduck at September 14, 2005 01:28 PM (mAAjO)

5 Sooo, you're going full speed astern, Affirmative, while taking on or discharging explosives before you alter course to port?
Man, and they think all sysadmins do is play nethack.

Posted by: tommy at September 15, 2005 01:10 PM (EhwJT)

6 Yeppers. Busy busy Pixy.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 15, 2005 05:30 PM (AIaDY)

7 Right, so I did parse that correctly. EXPN?

Posted by: Dominic at September 16, 2005 08:31 PM (uyRJS)

8 Um, that's what the flags normally mean, but there's a hidden message.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 16, 2005 08:51 PM (QriEg)

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I'm getting spammed by a freaking public library! What's wrong with people?

On the other hand, I compared John Kerry to a cabbage - unfavourably - on Slashdot and got moderated up to +5. Republicans with mod points. Phear the power!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:49 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

ADSL USB modems.

The drivers have a failure rate of about one in three.

Fine for you. You aren't the tech support department for an ISP.

(Well, if you are, then I commiserate.)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:46 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Me hearties.

I'll try not to forget this year.

I mean, Arrr.

(Viarrr Dave Barry, of course)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:59 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Arrggh, Cap'n. Got anyone you need keelhauled?

Posted by: owlish at September 07, 2005 02:05 AM (qYLOC)

2 Yarrr ... moonbats off the port bow!

Posted by: Evil Pundit at September 07, 2005 04:02 PM (+2/LZ)

3 A pirate walks into a bar, with a steering wheel in his pants.
The bartender does a doubletake, then says "Hey, buddy, what's with the steering wheel?"
Pirate says "Yarrrrr, drivin' me nuts!"

Posted by: Wonderduck at September 08, 2005 05:39 PM (QbcjU)

4 At first I thought you were talking about your birthday, and wondered about that international dateline thingy again...

Posted by: Susie at September 09, 2005 06:30 AM (nekkG)

5
I prefer to call it "amateur day". Yes, I'm a snob. Here's why: Ye Olde Booke o' Seadogs

I originally put that together years ago when people were first hearing about that "internet thing".

Rossz, aka Bosun Bob, Arrrrr!

Posted by: Rossz at September 12, 2005 04:51 PM (n5Jbg)

6 Um... has anybody seen Pixy recently?

Posted by: Wonderduck at September 13, 2005 01:52 PM (mAAjO)

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Jane Fonda and George Galloway.

It's enough to make me burn my copy of Barbarella. Almost.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:01 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 I think I would probably have enjoyed Barbarella more if she'd been wearing more clothes--but that's probably not something you'd complain about, is it?

Posted by: Susie at September 09, 2005 06:33 AM (nekkG)

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One of the downsides of moving to New Pixy Central was that I was about to get high-speed ADSL (up to 8mbit) at Old Pixy Central, but this wasn't available (yet) at the new address.

However, it was on its way - and yes, I checked that first.

Now the little status indicator on my ISP's website has ticked over from yellow (under construction) to blue (being commissioned). So any day now I will have 12mbits, and maybe even 24! (Their equipment works at 24mbits, but they are still doing field tests.)

In the meantime I will sit here and twitch.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 11:36 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Lamb stew in red wine with potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, red kidney beans and cannellini beans. And garlic.

It better be good, because there seems to be an awful lot of it. If it goes wrong, I guess I can always add more garlic...

Baking some rye bread too. There'll be one well-fed Pixy here at Pixylabs tonight!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 10:29 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 More potatoes too, if necessary. Potatoes and garlic. Mmmmm...

Posted by: Jim at September 04, 2005 02:26 AM (oqu5j)

2 Yum... All your talents and you can cook, too? You truly are a Renaissance Man, Oh Mighty Pixy!

Posted by: Susie at September 04, 2005 04:05 AM (nekkG)

3 So, how did it turn out, anyway?

Posted by: owlish at September 05, 2005 05:03 AM (qYLOC)

4 Burp.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 05, 2005 02:21 PM (AIaDY)

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Apothegm Designs are auctioning off two blog design packages with the proceeds going to The American Red Cross. If you're one of the high bidders, I'll throw in free hosting* and a free mu.nu domain if you'd like one (and who wouldn't). Go over there and bid your little hearts out!

* Assuming you don't have more than, say, a million visitors a month. Maybe even then, but I'd have to make sure the server is set up to cope.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:59 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

A DETACHMENT of 300 Arkansas National Guard troops have landed in anarchic New Orleans, with the authorisation to shoot and kill "hoodlums", Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said.
"Three hundred of the Arkansas National Guard have landed in the city of New Orleans," Ms Blanco said.

"These troops are fresh back from Iraq, well trained, experienced, battle tested and under my orders to restore order in the streets.

"They have M-16s and they are locked and loaded.

"These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will."

(via Tim Blair)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 03:32 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The one small fly in my shiny new notebook ointment was that occasionally, while watching anime, it would stutter very slightly.

It still did it after I added the extra gig of ram, so that wasn't the problem.

It still did it after I replaced the hard disk with a larger and faster model, so that wasn't the problem.

It still did it even though CPU utilisation was below 20%, even while playing in full-screen mode.

But when I replaced WinAmp with BSPlayer, it went away for good.

Alas, BSPlayer too had a problem: In full-screen mode it made sure to fill the entire screen, from edge to edge. Even if you were watching a standard-format show (4:3) on a widescreen display (5:3) - in which case the subtitles would be neatly located somewhere off the bottom of the screen so as not to spoil your viewing pleasure.

There are no options to change this behaviour. I looked, and I looked again, and I looked again. But there is a pan-and-scan mode - which turns out to work perfectly.

The only remaining problem: 900GB of anime. 100GB of disk space.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 09:56 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Hmm. Looks like Terabyte external hard drives are currently going for 850$ or so. Sheesh. I think my desktop is old enough it has maybe 4 gigs. My laptop is a little older, but still...

Posted by: owlish at September 02, 2005 03:57 AM (QiOeU)

2 This is my notebook I'm talking about.
My desktop has a terabyte-and-a-bit.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 02, 2005 10:01 AM (RbYVY)

3 Nver mind. I'm behind the times enough I'm thinking of buying a used playstation2.

Posted by: owlish at September 02, 2005 12:26 PM (QiOeU)

4 Hey, the Playstation 2 is way cool! I spent a happy month earlier this year hiding from real life and playing games on mine.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 02, 2005 03:32 PM (RbYVY)

5 The only remaining problem: 900GB of anime. 100GB of disk space.
The solution? MPEG4!!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at September 02, 2005 04:17 PM (CJBEv)

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Well, I could have done the quick format, but not the first time with a new disk, nuh-uh.

Anyway, when this finishes, my new notebook will have five times the memory and five times the disk space of my old notebook. Life is good.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 12:00 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 If I need a notebook to hold more, I just write smaller...

Posted by: Susie at August 30, 2005 03:37 AM (nekkG)

2 Test

Posted by: Pixy Misa at August 31, 2005 07:17 PM (AIaDY)

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Humphrey Bogart You scored 33% Tough, 9% Roguish, 38% Friendly, and 14% Charming!

You're the original man of honor, rough and tough but willing to stick your neck out when you need to, despite what you might say to the contrary. You're a complex character full of spit and vinegar, but with a soft heart and a tender streak that you try to hide. There's usually a complicated dame in the picture, someone who sees the real you behind all the tough talk and can dish it out as well as you can. You're not easy to get next to, but when you find the right partner, you're caring and loyal to a fault. A big fault. But you take it on the chin and move on, nursing your pain inside and maintaining your armor...until the next dame walks in. Or possibly the same dame, and of all the gin joints in all the world, it had to be yours. Co-stars include Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall, hot chicks with problems. Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test.

(Via Jimmy Stewart)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 07:12 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Downloaded Cygwin onto my notebook. Installed it. Download + Install = 2.8GB.

Eek.

There's 3GB of software install files that came with the notebook. The Windows directory is 1.5GB, and the I386 directory of Windows install files is another 0.5GB. The hibernation file is equal to the memory size, so 1.25GB for that. Pagefile is currently running about 400MB. Program files (other than Cygwin) about 2.4GB.

40GB doesn't get you as far as it used to. I want to drop munu on there so I can play around with it, and that's another 12GB or so.

I'm going to try compressing Cygwin and see what that does.

Before

Size: 1.96GB (2,105,701,800 bytes)
Size on disk: 2.22GB (2,391,920,640 bytes)
Contains: 112,806 Files, 5,655 Folders

Crunch crunch crunch...

Size on disk: 1.35GB (1,450,449,973 bytes)

Of course, if I really wanted more disk space, I could always get a 100GB replacement drive, like, oh, this one here on my desk. Yes, that will do nicely.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 10:35 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Website of the Day is Double-Tongued Word Wrester, a dictionary of words "from the fringes of English". Frex, Finnegan Pin:

1938-39 A.T. Rosen @ Brooklyn, N.Y. LOTJ “Gas Station Slang”: Finegan pin…[struck] a vague expression to cover the fact that something in the car in [ sic] wrong but not yet exactly known, a whosis, etc. Its [ sic] akin to the slang expression, A paper-stretcher, or left-handed pencil.[end struck text] Non-existent auto part which mechanic blames for trouble he cannot locate.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 11:06 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The not-so-good side of Western Civilisation, all wrapped up and tied in a bow:

Los Angeles - Sacha Baron Cohen aka Ali G was dunked in the sea by Pamela Anderson's bodyguards - after rugby-tackling the actress at her dogs' wedding.

The Ali G star was dressed as his other creation, Kazakhstani TV journalist Borat, when he pulled the stunt.

Cohen, 33, in trunks, leather jacket and Village People-style cap, emerged from the surf on an inflatable turtle.

His rugby tackle sent Pam, 38, hurtling to the sand on the beach at Malibu, California.

Concerned security men grabbed the comedian and dragged him into the sea.

Pam was presiding over the nuptials of her Golden Retriever Star to Chihuahua Luca.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:46 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Everyone's favourite simulated academic has obviously been following the threads on consciousness (here and here), and has this to add:

So far, the theory of syntactic features developed earlier does not affect the structure of the extended c-command discussed in connection with (34). A consequence of the approach just outlined is that most of the methodological work in modern linguistics is rather different from the requirement that branching is not tolerated within the dominance scope of a complex symbol. Furthermore, the appearance of parasitic gaps in domains relatively inaccessible to ordinary extraction raises serious doubts about the system of base rules exclusive of the lexicon. From C1, it follows that the earlier discussion of deviance appears to correlate rather closely with a parasitic gap construction. For one thing, the fundamental error of regarding functional notions as categorial is not to be considered in determining the levels of acceptability from fairly high (eg (99a)) to virtual gibberish (eg (98d)).

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 01:07 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 I have one thing to say to him : Speak English, dammit!

Posted by: Susie at August 24, 2005 02:05 AM (nekkG)

2 i always think the chomskybot makes more sense in Chomsky's native dialect--moron.

So far, the, duh uhh, theory of syntackic features debelopid earlieh does not affeck the, ERRRR, struckure of the, uh, extendid c-command discussid in conneckion wid (34). Lee me lone!A consekess of de approach dgust outlinid dat most of de medodological work in modehn ligguistics is radeh diffehent from de rekiremin dat branchigg is not tolehatid widin the, uhhh, dominass scope of a c'plex symbol. Furdehmore, uh uh uh, de appearass of parasitic gaps in domains relatibe inaccesstiggle t' ordin extrackion raises sehious douts bou' the, ERRRR, syssem of base rules exclusibe of de lexicon. From C1, it folls dat the, uh, earlieh discusshun of debiass appears t' correlate radeh close wid a parasitic gap construckion. DOIHH!F' one digg, the, uh uh uh, fundaminal ehror of regardigg funcshunal noshuns as cagelorial is not t' be considehid in detehminigg de lebels of acceptabiltiby from fair high (eg (99a)) t' birtual gibbehish (eg (98d)).
courtesy of the Dialectizer.
http://rinkworks.com/dialect/dialectt.cgi

(((pixy))) glad you're back!

Posted by: matoko kusanagi at August 25, 2005 09:36 AM (DsETa)

3 Susie: he is, in the transformational sense. After all, in Chomskian linguistics, all languages are essentially English at their idealized core.

Posted by: Mitch H. at August 26, 2005 12:46 AM (iTVQj)

4 ya pidoras, pizu chujie doors, zaabuzte moi url - http://greatpharmacies.com/ a suda pishite pisma i spamte - admass@pisem.net

Posted by: ya pidoras at July 27, 2006 08:16 AM (hNGYv)

5 I am Very thank full the owner of this blog. Becouse of this blog is very imformative for me.. And I ask u some thiing You make more this type blog where we can get more knowledge.

Posted by: pandora jewelry charm bracelet at May 17, 2011 04:52 PM (wiJlg)

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Even when they're two-dimensional.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 12:02 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I got a new toy today - one of these. I actually got one of the low-end models, because I wasn't paying for it, so it had to actually be justified. Anyway, they don't have much of a range available in Australia. In America, you get to choose exactly which CPU you want, how much memory, how large a disk drive. In Australia, you get 1.4GHz with 1MB of cache and a DVD/CD-RW drive, or 1.6GHz with 2MB of cache and a DVD writer. For the difference in price, I could get an extra gig of memory, so I did.

For a cheap, low-end notebook it's very nice. The screen doesn't have a reflective coating, which can be a bit distracting, but on the other hand it's extremely bright and clear, with excellent colour. It's got Firewire and 3 USB 2.0 ports, a card reader slot that works with both Memory Stick (which my camera uses) and SD/MMC (which my Palm Pilot has). Battery life isn't bad; initial tests suggest over 2½ hours playing videos with brightness turned up all the way. (I haven't had a chance to run it flat yet.)

It's not small, though. Twice the size of my old Vaio (which was tiny). But more than twice the speed. And one-third the price, so I'm not about to complain.

Now I just have to choose which anime to copy onto it to start with. And maybe shop around for a better price on those new 120GB notebook drives...

Oh yes. I'll be getting wireless internet for it too. It already has WiFi and Bluetooth, but I'll be adding a wireless broadband modem, so I'll be able to munu from anywhere.

Technology. What can't it do?

Update: 256MB bad. 1280MB good.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 12:02 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Um... birth a human baby? Cry?

Posted by: Wonderduck at August 23, 2005 02:55 AM (+rGmJ)

2 Can it make m&ms?

Posted by: Susie at August 23, 2005 03:21 AM (nekkG)

3 Yes! Wonderduck is onto something! We need our top scientists to get on this. Someone fix me a laptop to give birth to this baby!
But seriously folks. . .that's one cool lil' laptop.
Enjoy!

Posted by: Margi at August 23, 2005 07:43 AM (nwEQH)

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The Barrel O' Babies

The villagers discovered a large barrel bobbing in the surf today. Unlike your average barrel, this one contains toddlers wrapped in blankets! They probably got lost during the exodus that brought the villagers to Isola. [What, and they've been in suspended animation for the thirty years since then?] Luckily, they found their way here to their kinfolk.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 02:36 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Under the headline Telstra deal may shrink federal coffers, The Age, Australia's answer to... I dunno, the Boston Globe, I guess... Bemoans the fact that if you sell a company, you don't get paid dividends any more:

THE loss of billions of dollars of Telstra dividend payments means the Government will have to run down budget surpluses or spend less on health, education and infrastructure, Finance Minister Nick Minchin has suggested.

Telstra's full sale would involve a "fiscal tightening", implying less cash would be available for other spending priorities.

"We have been up-front about the fact that this policy involves an implied fiscal tightening," Senator Minchin said yesterday.

The Government's 6.4 billion Telstra shares, valued at $31 billion at today's prices, generate dividend payments that swell the budget bottom line by about $1.5 billion a year.

But unlike the previous two Telstra share floats, the proceeds from the sale of the remaining 51.8 per cent stake will not be used to pay off debt. That means there will be no interest saving to offset the lost dividends.

They sort of gloss over the reason that the proceeds of the sale won't be used to pay off debt.

The reason is this: There isn't any.

The Australian federal budget has been reaping such huge surpluses for so long that the government has been able to pay off its entire debt.*

I think it's just a little bit unfair to criticise the government for not paying off a debt that it's already paid off.

* That's purely federal, public-sector debt, though, and says nothing about state or local governments - which mostly suck - or the private sector. Also - I need to look this up - the final payments may be coming in the next financial year, but still require nothing from the Telstra sale.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 07:14 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Oh deary me.

(Via Peeve Farm)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 12:35 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)