This Weblog is ESTP

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According to Typealyzer, which analyzes the content of a weblog and places it within the Myers-Briggs personality matrix, this weblog classifies as ESTP (Extroverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving), “The Doers.”

The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

For the record, the last time I took an online version of the MBTI, I tested as ISFP (Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving). The Star Trek version of the MBTI also pegged me as ISFP, which apparently correlates with DS9’s Bareil or VOY’s Doctor.

(via Metafilter)

Links for December 18th through December 23rd

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Sometime between December 18th and December 23rd, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Tagalus: Ever find yourself looking at Twitter and wondering what all this talk about #motrinmoms means? Searching Flickr and not understanding why someone would tag their photo #ip4?
    Tagalus lets users define tags so that others can understand what they're talking about. Other users can vote on definitions and decide which best describes the given tag.
  • More snow, ice, wind on the way this weekend: Don't look forward to the weekend. It's not over. Not even close. Saturday night, forecasters say, the sequel will arrive. The region — expected to stay below freezing in the meantime — will again be hit not only by snow and ice pellets Saturday night into Sunday morning, but by winds that could reach 50 to 70 mph, with peak gusts of 90, in the foothills. "This next system could actually be worse than what we just had," said Jeff Michalski, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
  • In a First, Gay Rights Are Pressed at the U.N. (But not by the United States): "An unprecedented declaration seeking to decriminalize homosexuality won the support of 66 countries in the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, but opponents criticized it as an attempt to legitimize pedophilia and other 'deplorable acts.' The United States refused to support the nonbinding measure, as did Russia, China, the Roman Catholic Church and members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference." More info from ECCO: "Alone among major Western nations, the U.S. has refused to sign a declaration at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. Co-sponsored by France and the Netherlands, the declaration was signed by all 27 European Union members, as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries. There was broad opposition from Muslim nations, and the United States refused to sign…."
  • Majel Barrett-Roddenberry Passes Away: Today is another sad day for Trek fans, TrekMovie was just informed by the Roddenberry family that Majel Barrett Roddenberry passed away this morning at the age of 76. The first lady of Star Trek’ died of leukemia at her home in Bel Air. At her side were her son Eugene ‘Rod’ Roddenberry along with family and friends.
  • 2008 Mug Shots Of The Year: What makes a good photograph? A compelling subject, proper lighting, and exquisite composition would certainly be components. But what makes a good mug shot? A compelling subject, of course. And a cow costume never hurts.

My Movie Rating System

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For no particular reason that I can come up with, I was thinking over how I rate movies, and attempting to quantify the basic reasoning for each star of a five-star rating system. I think I’ve pretty much nailed it down.

* (one star): Two hours of my life that I won’t get back.
* * (two stars): Not a total waste of time, if the viewing cost is low enough (free coupon, someone else is renting it and I happen to be around to see it, a good Netflix plan with relatively high turnover).
* * * (three stars): Worth a rent.
* * * * (four stars): Worth seeing in the theater (at a matinee, or at an evening show if I’m either excited enough by the particular movie or feeling rich enough to afford it), possibly worth purchasing (preferably secondhand or after a while so the price has dropped, but perhaps at full price if I think it’s on the high side of four stars).
* * * * * (five stars): A keeper. Worth seeing in the theater if possible, worth owning at whatever price I think is reasonable.

Of course, as with any rating system, there’s some amount of variability, and my movie collection certainly isn’t entirely comprised of 4- and 5-star movies (Star Trek V? Honestly, it’s about a 2-star movie. But it’s Star Trek, and I’m a nerd and a completist). But on the whole, I think that’s a pretty good overview of my thought process.

Emergency Preparedness

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It’s a bit late for SNOWPOCALYPSE 2008, but for future reference, a handy guide of what to do…

…in the case of Snow:

  • Obtain De-icer and chains for your car.
  • Know your tire size, in case you need to replace a broken chain.
  • Make sure your tires are at recommended air capacity.
  • Urge the administration to close your schools, even if it only might snow.
  • Carry a small amount of sand in your car so you can get traction if you get stuck.
  • Remember: Snow kills people on contact, so avoid it at all cost.

…in the case of Rain:

  • Make sure to pack up your umbrella!
  • Wear rubber boots, or “Slicker Kicks” as I like to call them.
  • Don’t listen to depressing music while it’s raining.
  • Increase your following distance to at least 3 seconds.
  • Call your mother. It’s been a while.
  • Thank god it’s not snowing too.

…in the case of Snow/Rain:

  • Scream at God, asking: “Why? Why, God, why?”
  • Rain water is still made of water, which is able to freeze.
  • Light your car on fire to thaw any ice on the road below your car.
  • Before driving somewhere, call ahead and let them know you will be 27 to 50 hours late.

…in the case of nuclear war:

  • Evacuate the area directly beneath atomic bomb impact.
  • Remember the triangle! Time, Distance and Shielding.
  • Ventilate and cool any lead shelters you habitate with ice and machine guns.
  • Food is important. If you run out of food, eat the weak.
  • Wear Fire Protection.
  • Charge the batteries on your VATS.

…in the case of ice weasel attack:

  • Do not make sudden moves around or near ice weasels.
  • Try to lift the snowmobile off of your broken carcass.

…in the case a monkey flies out of my ass and claws for your eyes:

  • Shield your eyes with metal objects, such as a frying pan, or bent forks.
  • Should you trap the monkey in the closet, do not open your closet door.

…in the case of the dead rising from their graves:

  • Do not shine your light on the Witch. She is tougher than she looks.
  • Shove a boomer before you shoot him, so he does not splash on you.
  • If you are on point, crouch so your teammate can shoot over your head.
  • Avoid shooting a car with an alarm. The alarm will attract the horde.

(found here)

Links for December 16th through December 17th

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Sometime between December 16th and December 17th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • TIME’s Person of the Year 2008: Barack Obama: "…two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, 'Government's not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government's working for me. I feel like it's accountable. I feel like it's transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient.' Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim."
  • PHOTOS: Cyanide Millipede, Huge Spider Among New Species: They're not kidding about the "huge" spider — we're talking a 12" (one foot) legspan here. EEEP!!!!!
  • Aegisub: If programming languages were religions…: Perl would be Voodoo – An incomprehensible series of arcane incantations that involve the blood of goats and permanently corrupt your soul. Often used when your boss requires you to do an urgent task at 21:00 on friday night.
  • Save Handmade Toys From the CPSIA: Place your vote here to help keep handmade toys from being banned, thanks to poor quality control in Chinese toys necessitating stricter controls on imported toys.
  • Apple Announces Last Year of Christmas: CUPERTINO, California—December 16, 2008—Apple® today announced that this is the last year for Christmas. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, spoke at a joint press conference held with Santa Claus at the North Pole this morning. He announced: "Apple has been honored to work with the North Pole the last several years to make Christmas possible, however, we have decided together that this is the last year for Christmas."
  • The Periodic Table of Awesoments: In 300 B.C., years before the birth of black Jesus, Aristole postulated that all good things were made of "win." That was a pretty good guess, but he was drunk and probably also having an orgy. Modern day awesominers know there are actually 118 fundamental "awesoments" that compose all good things. The Periodic table of Awesoments can be a very useful tool. It's designed to show the relationships between awesoments, and often one can even predict how awesoments interact simply by their positions on the table.
  • Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” Barbie® Doll: In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, gave us a tale of terror not soon forgotten in his film “The Birds.” Dressed in a re-creation of the stylish green skirt-suit worn by the film’s ill-fated heroine in an iconic scene, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” Barbie® Doll celebrates the 45th anniversary of the acclaimed film. From the doll’s classic ensemble to the perfectly painted expression to the accompanying black birds, every aspect captures the film’s infamous appeal.
  • World’s First Computer Rebuilt, Rebooted After 2,000 Years: A dictionary-size assemblage of 37 interlocking dials crafted with the precision and complexity of a 19th-century Swiss clock, the Antikythera mechanism was used for modeling and predicting the movements of the heavenly bodies as well as the dates and locations of upcoming Olympic games.

Links for December 15th through December 16th

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Sometime between December 15th and December 16th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Apple Announces Its Last Year at Macworld: Apple® today announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. (Wow…if this came from anywhere other than Apple's own PR site, I'd think it was a hoax.)
  • Drillers Accidentally Create First Live Magma Observatory: Drillers accidentally hit a pocket of molten rock underneath a working geothermal energy field in Hawaii, a lucky break for geologists that could allow them to map the geological plumbing that created everything we know as land. The unprecedented discovery could act as a "magma observatory," allowing scientists to test their theories about how processes transformed the molten rock below Earth's surface into the rocky crust that humans live on today.
  • The Crow Reboot: Crow Reboot Will End In Eyelinery Tears: Oh, this is just bad: the guy who directed The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen wants to "reboot" The Crow, and, "whereas Proyas' original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style." (sigh) Why are there so few good remakes of bad movies out there, and so many bad remakes of good movies? Why are there even so many damn remakes? What happened to originality?
  • BURGER KING® FLAME™: "Body spray of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat." Oh, my lord. Amusingly, and really frighteningly, this doesn't seem to be a joke. A special scent from Burger King…because nothing says, "Take me now, you big, strapping hunk of man meat!" like the smell of the Whopper. Or maybe they're just b(r)oiling the message down to, "Eat me!"
  • The WSDOT Blog: The Washington State Department of Transportation has a weblog. I've been following their Flickr account for a while, but just found the blog and their Twitter account today.

Links for December 11th through December 15th

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Sometime between December 11th and December 15th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • 6 Insane Discoveries That Science Can’t Explain: We like to feel superior to the people who lived centuries ago, what with their shitty mud huts and curing colds by drilling a hole in their skulls. But we have to give them credit: They left behind some artifacts that have left the smartest of modern scientists scratching their heads. For instance, you have the following enigmas that we believe were created for no other purpose than to fuck with future generations.
  • Moratorium declared on Capitol displays: The moratorium applies to Westboro's application, along with pending requests for a Buddhist display, a Jewish banner, a mannequin of Satan holding a statement against atheists and wishing them a merry Christmas, an aluminum pole in celebration of the invented holiday of Festivus, and a "Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Display."
  • Google Zeitgeist 2008: As the year comes to a close, it's time to look at the big events, memorable moments and emerging trends that captivated us in 2008. As it happens, studying the aggregation of the billions of search queries that people type into the Google search box gives us a glimpse into the zeitgeist — the spirit of the times. We've compiled some of the highlights from Google searches around the globe and hope you enjoy looking back as much as we do.
  • Hold onto that e-waste just a little bit longer: If you've been waiting forever to unload that old TV or computer, Jan. 1 is your lucky day. A new state law requires electronics manufacturers to start safely recycling four of the most-discarded items, with no charge to consumers. Washington's law is the first in the nation to require electronics producers to pay for the whole process.
  • 10 useful iPhone tips & tricks: I’m sure that many of you are “power users” and probably know most of these tips and tricks. But I suspect that a lot of you are more casual iPhone users and will find this list useful. Even our team members that I showed the draft of this post to (people I consider iPhone experts), all picked up at least a tip or two that they weren’t already aware of. So I’ll bet there’s something for everyone here…

Links for December 8th through December 11th

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Sometime between December 8th and December 11th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • 10 useful iPhone tips & tricks: I’m sure that many of you are “power users” and probably know most of these tips and tricks. But I suspect that a lot of you are more casual iPhone users and will find this list useful. Even our team members that I showed the draft of this post to (people I consider iPhone experts), all picked up at least a tip or two that they weren’t already aware of. So I’ll bet there’s something for everyone here…
  • Austenbook: Jane Bennet finds herself very unwell. :( //Elizabeth Bennet is going to stay at Netherfield with Jane. // Louisa Hurst saw Elizabeth Bennet's petticoat and is absolutely certain it was six inches deep in mud. // Elizabeth Bennet is improving her mind by extensive reading.
  • Chinese ‘classical poem’ was brothel ad: A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty details of stripping housewives in a brothel.
  • Writing My Twitter Etiquette Article: 14 Ways to Use Twitter Politely by Margaret Mason – The Morning News: One drunk tweet might be amusing. Unfortunately, when you’re drunk or high, Twitter is like a can of Pringles. You don’t want to break the seal. One drunk tweet leads to 20 poorly spelled missives on one amazing house party. If you think texting your ex is embarrassing the next morning, try texting all of them.
  • If Gamers Ran The World: They’re 45 in 2018 when they stand for office – that means they were born in 1973. They would have been four when Taito released Space Invaders came out; seven when Pac Man came out. In 1985, when they were 12, Nintendo would launch the NES in the west. At 18, just as they would have been heading to University, the first NHL game came out for the Genesis/Megadrive and might consumed many a night in the dorm. At 22, the Playstation was launched. At 26, they could have bought a PS2 at launch; at 31, they might have taken up World of Warcraft with their friends. They would have been a gamer all their lives. Not someone who once played videogames, trotting out the same anecdote about “playing Asteroids once” in interviews; someone for whom games were another part of their lives, a primary, important medium. Someone who understood games. (This is my generation — exactly, as I was born in 1973 — that he's talking about here. Sometimes I wonder how I became a geek without being a gamer.)