aerogeek.org

Thesis Week 1 has ended. The work is still far from complete, but at least I was able to regain most of the momentum that had been lost over the past year. Look for Client v2.0 of the distributed flocking simulation, coming soon to a PC near you. This time, it actually works.

I am on “vacation” this week to finish the unfinished symphony. And by “finish”, I mean, “write a few stanzas”. And by “write a few stanzas”, I mean “learn to play the oboe”. Everything in time; I’ll be happy if my geese are out of hybernation by the end of the week. Ok, I should stop procrastinating now.

Larry King: You don’t think Iraq is becoming Vietnam, do you?
Bill Maher: No. In Vietnam, George Bush had an exit strategy.

Hahaha! In my defense, I should mention that I watch Larry King Live about once every two years — only for Barbara Streisand and anybody who knew Princess Di. In fact, I am attempting to swear off cable news networks altogether. After sitting under an airport CNN monitor for four hours last week, my brain began to ooze out through my ears. At least it blocked out the sound.

I have uncovered definitive evidence that El Niño is a government conspiracy, as I have long suspected (see “El Niño and other conspiracies”, Aerogeek, Mar. 7, 2002). NOAA is reporting that El Niño is returning, just as they claimed in 2002. The 2002 and 2004 reports both state, “El Niños occur about every four to five years and can last from 12 to 18 months” and that the last event occurred in 1997-1998. So what gives, NOAA?

In other weather news, I flew through the remnants of Hurricane Frances on Tuesday, which made for a surprisingly smooth ride. Three cheers for onboard weather radar.

Driving home tonight, I had the privilege of trailing an Aston Martin DB7 Vantage for about two miles. There was an old guy behind the wheel, but he was driving it just as Aston Martin intended: fast. It’s always refreshing to see such an amazing car being driven properly, unlike the hoards of rich, unappreciative Porsche owners I see driving their cars like school buses. New rule: Anyone buying a sports car must first complete one hour of racing school and/or sports car appreciation class for every $1000 over $50000 and face stiff penalties for underutilization or misuse. For example, the new owner of a loaded Porsche 911 would be required to spend 60 hours on the track and fly to Stuttgart for a 10-hour tour of the Porsche plant and museum before taking delivery. Furthermore, anybody caught cornering too slowly in a Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG for no good reason, having already experienced the beauty of a properly tuned suspension and mid-CG while in racing school, would immediatly forfeit his car to a derserving but less-established young person, such as myself (it should be noted that I would prefer a 911). Finally, anybody caught installing chrome rims on a Lotus Esprit soley for the bling factor, would receive a 10-year sentence of Buick LeSabre ownership. This rule would have positive impact on those who buy sports cars for performance, while cutting down on the number of Ferraris and Lamborghinis rotting on the streets of Hollywood and in the garages of Cribs guests.

In a related story, I am taking a free Motorcycle course next month, which does not mean I plan to buy a motorcycle. I would need tattoos and large biceps for that. Also, our Jetta is at 6000 miles and going strong. It has begun sounding more diesel-like on the outside, but that change was expected. Rachel still lets me drive it once a week to remind it of its German heritage.