Links

http://www.physorg.com/news9063.html

I've only just been exposed to this for the first time, but it seems a very annoying form of adverising. Words in the article are turned into hyperlinks to products. There is some appropriateness, but it seems enormously misleading. (For instance, in "We directly view this single atom with specially-tuned lasers and a sensitive camera," camera hyperlinks to camera mobile phone company.)

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051212/full/438900a.html

This article claims Wikipedia is of an order with Britannica in accuracy (though somewhat less). I think it was restricted to scientific articles. Of course, they will each have their own strengths. A published encyclopedia will be less prone to controversial articles being defaced, or misleading stubs left in. Print has the problem that it has reasonable experts, but not the best experts. And can't easily issue corrections. For the moment, wikipedia is probably more up-to-date, but we'll have to see how it lasts.

http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html

This deserves a whole post. Indeed, a whole site. And there's one, right there, in the link :) But I'm never going to get round to that, so here it is. Please do read it.

Do you have opinions you would be reluctant to express in your peer group? If not, you're probably doing the equivalent of thinking the sun goes round the earth. How do you find ideas you find yourself not thinking? Look for ideas people hate hearing (but pick your battles). Look back in time and to other countries. Any idea held everywhere is more universal, most things are likely to evolve.

Why do this? Curiousity. A hate of thinking something mistaken or being hidebound. Science being breaking conventional wisdom.

Week update

Monday pizza

The major topic of conversation was "How do you translate spotted dick into spanish," with a side order of "The Afmaelisdagr is on 28/29 jan."

- "Spotted dick," The name is entirely meaningless, so when you're talking about the english dish, you might as well treat it as a proper name/loanword.
- "Polla Manchado." A fairly literal translation (if I happen to remember it correctly) that *sounds* like chicken.
- "Dick Manchado." Translate fairly directly, assuming 'dick' has lost all meaning, but 'spotted' is relevant.
- To a word for pudding, if that's all that's important to what you're saying.
- To a name of a suggestive sounding spanish pudding, if you're eg, translating a novel where the humour is important.
- To "English Sultana Pudding" or something completely different if you -- for some reason -- wish to try to serve it on a spanish restaurant menu.
- Any way, with a little footnote. Or expand it out.

Tuesday, games evening. I did badly at Samurai. Acceptably at Articulate. And eventually won an insanely drawn out game of magic. I dither too much, and aren't familiar enough to know what can be taken for granted, but eventually wore people down.

During the game, I think I drew or played exactly one creature, and caused damage pretty much only with galvanic arc (three points burn when played). I can't help wonder what life would be like for that mage. Alone, except for a large number of copies of herself, and a large number of enchantments, single handedly holding off lots of evil enchantments. But eventually we reached the point where she kept causing enough damage that I slipped through the cracks.

It's a very "three gunmen" sort of thing. When you have three players, whoever kills someone will generally be immediately targeted by the other, so there's a lot of holding off waiting for a big kill. unless you think you're going to lose anyway.

Wednesday, office party

These are never promising, but it was fun. I enjoyed talking to Katie, was sat near people from work I get on with, the food was fairly good, the hotel was shiny, the beer was good, I spoke to everyone, danced for a bit, and weaved home safely. Again, memo: still not everyone is bi. Innuendo mayn't mean what you would assume.

Thursday, evening in

I've almost forgotten what these are like. What do I do? I can write, or spod, but I do that anyway. I could phone someone, but it's got late. I tidied my flat a bit, but I like to do it in bits.

But I settled down with a book from the "read soon" pile, and watched a spot of TV, and everything was fine. And I was in bed by 1, though not 11, as I'd hoped. But still, more sleep than I've had in a while.

Coming up this Weekend

Theathon, King Kong, and Justin's Digital Projector Party