Core Dump

So Bloody Incompetent!

2007-05-17T14:37:28Z

Can you guess what quality I hate? Especially in teachers? Good Lord... The course description was something like: "An introduction to programming. The language to be used in this course is Java. No previous experience in programming required." From the start of semester, this is what we have actually done:
1. Helping our teacher with yearbook design (for which there is an entirely separate class)
2. Designing a simple game using proprietary, limited, and redundant software speciallised for making bad games
3. Designing a CD label for said game
4. Some actual Java (finally!)
And now, going backwards, our teacher is forcing us to use Microsoft Visual Basic! MVB makes the above-mentioned game design software, GameMaker, seem clear, simple, and well thought-out. And yet our teacher refuses to aknowledge this!
Someone tie my hands behind my back before I KILL HIM!

My brain works in odd ways...

2007-04-20T21:35:14Z

I was musing through something, planning to post it here (I've forgotten what it was), when I realised I was referring to my chosen web identity in third person! I started thinking about this, and came to the conclusion that instead of multiple personalities, I have multiple identities. The person at the keyboard is a human named (for the sake of argument) Fred Foobar. NightPelt is the being Fred wishes he was, but isn't. Fred is in Meatspace, NightPelt is in Mindspace and Cyberspace. Both identities refer to the same mind. Sometimes I make the distinction, sometimes I don't.

Uninspired

2007-04-02T22:43:17Z

This is why I haven't posted:

Nightpelt stared at the monitor dully, trying to think of what he wanted to write.
*Gah! Why does this always happen? I have a great idea, but as soon as I try to record it, regardless of how, it flees my mind, never to return.*
He even tried typing that very thought in an attempt to unstick his fingers, but they froze again as soon as the thought was recorded.
*It's performance anxiety.* he decided. *There are just too many other good stories out there that I will never compare to.* His mind corrected his own grammar, *to which my works will never compare. Likewise with the visual arts and even LiveJournal postings. That and when I'm not trying to write them, I just have too many ideas. It could be that I can't decide which to write down.*
Again he tried writing his thoughts, and again this failed to have any significant impact on his creative output.
*I'm going to write a search-and-replace array sorter.* he decided finally, and with that, he opened a new document.

Back From the Dead!

2007-03-29T23:41:25Z

I have decided to end my net-death (and there was much rejoicing).
This is basically a placeholder as I put together a coherent post.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

2007-02-12T02:03:19Z

I found a list of responses some famous people might have to this eternal question in a philosophy textbook of all things. Thought I might put up some of my favourites.

Captain James T. Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
Zeno: To prove that it could never reach the other side.
Ernest Hemingway: To die. In the rain.
Ronald Reagan: I forget.
Baldrick (from Black Adder): It had a cunning plan.
Aaand the grand finale:
Douglas Adams: Forty-two.

My personal favourite is Zeno's.

Have you ever?

2007-01-08T05:42:13Z

More song imagery, this time from The Cat Empire's song Misere.

Have you ever told a lie
That was true more than truth
because truth it had lied
all it's life when it spoke to you?

Think about it. And tell me what you think.

Imagery and Symbolism

2006-12-24T06:18:58Z

Lit courses may be taking over my brain, but I have started seeing interesting imagery and symbolism everywhere. Take, for example, the hymn Let Christmas Come. The last verse reads as follows:

Let Cristmas come, its great star glow,
On quiet city, parks of snow.
Let Christmas come, its table gleam,
Love born again, the truth in dream.

Now I'm not sure what gleaming tables have to do with anything, but that last phrase, "the truth in dream". Powerful image, no? Particularly for members of the furry fandom, and most especially for therianthropes (if they consider themselves part of the fandom or the fandom considers them members is moot).

I Caught the Key!

2006-12-15T17:32:35Z

Sorry. That's the name of the first track on Les Finnigan's excellent album, Things my Guitar Said. Random awesomeness. Or is that awesome randomness? God I'm weird...
The real (I seem to be using the < i > tag alot...) reason for this update is to extoll the virtues of my favourite webcomics.

Dykes to Watch Out For

care

You Must Read!!!

Sorry. I'm a little obsessed. I'm not even a dyke.

Kevin and Kell

Cross-Time Café

El Goonish Shive

Hacking

2006-12-04T02:13:04Z

I have zero knowledge in program design, but I'm going to self educate! Free stuff is always good, xTools is no exception. (I own a Macintosh. Fun stuff.)
The Jargon File This website has the hacker nature.

Anagrams are fun!

2006-11-24T05:45:04Z

And the randomness ensues:
Dormitory: Dirty room
Evangelist: Evils agent
semolina: is no meal
George Bush: he Bugs Gore

Find more and post them!

Short Story authors I am in awe of

2006-11-23T01:18:27Z

The following is a list of short (and not so short) story authors and shared storyverses I stumbled upon and believe deserve to be praised, well, alot.

Fox Cutter The author of the massive and awe-inspiring A Fox in the Works series.
The Blind Pig A universe created by Mark van Sciver. There's some philosophy here.
New World Awaiting Massive and ill-defined, but that doesn't keep it from being really cool!
Metamor Keep I'm not sure who came up with this storyverse, but if I find out, well, I dunno what I'd do. I don't want to stalk him/her.
And of course, Forest Tales by Goldfur, and various spinoffs by people who love hir stories and try to express themselves in their setting.
That's all I remember for now, but I'll write down who or what else comes to mind or runs across my screen. Feel free to post recommendations in the comments.

Hello World post! And A story of Bias

2006-11-20T05:37:52Z

Hello World!
This is my first entry into my LiveJournal! I feel "me too"ish, because what prompted me to start a LiveJournal was reading the Journal of the fabulous short story writer and (from what I can tell just from hir LiveJournal and stories) all-round great person Goldfur.

Now for the story.
I first came into contact with Furry fandom through sheer luck. I was bored one day and was just wandering through the 'net when I stumbled upon it at random, having zero prior knowledge, and thus no bias. It was strangely compelling, though, and I remained fascinated.
My father, on the other hand, apparently has had contact with conventional media "coverage" of the fandom. Furry came up in conversation recently, and dad would define it as:
Furry, n. A person or persons with a fursuit fetish.
That's it. No mention of art, fiction, comics. Needless to say, I don't concur. I didn't inform him of his false impression because I was so unsettled at how much exposure from a single source can colour one's views. Dad didn't seem to have any doubt whatsoever about Furry fandom. It's almost like my grandmother's certainty that all natives are lazy bums who never did an honest day's work in thier lives.