The Lair

Two cutesy adaptions (or derivations or mashups) that I thought I’d share.

Batman by Dostoyevsky. Fairly self explanatory, I believe.

The complete set of CDs from Mark Vidler’s mashups for download. I listened to CDs 1 and 3 last night. Some of them are rather bizarre mashups and the man appears to have a serious fascination with mashed up Michael Jackson (see what I did there?) but it’s all free!muzak!available!for!download.

Robert Jordan, RIP.
I’ve told myself time and time again that I wouldn’t buy any more books until he finished the damn series. The last WoT book I bought was Winter’s Heart, book 9. This was almost 7 years ago. Guess I’ll run out and buy the more recently released books 10 and 11. Will book 12 ever see the light of day? I wonder. RJ really was a gifted storyteller though. That alone makes his passing a sad sad loss.

And Colin McRae, RIP too. And to think that I had been going through a retro phase - been playing Colin McRae rally 2 (released in 2000 or so) for the last month and a half.

Our intangible riches - essentially argues that the rule of law and good social institutions are better at povery alleviation than lots of natural capital. Very very interesting stuff. I’m not sure I see how rule of law can be maintained without lots of government resources though. Government resources basically mean natural capital and/or state wealth. It also seems to me that gains due to development aid of this nature is going to be really really hard to measure.

And completely randomly, not one but TWO Chinooks did a low flyover when I was walking home last evening. It seemed like a training mission of some sort. The choppers were high enough to avoid rotor wash on the ground, but they were close enough that I could see the riveting on the doors. Was very cool. Also, the Chinooks flew faster than I had previously imagined possible. They didn’t appear to be carrying any cargo though.

Figure out that I am lacking a key reference paper for the stuff I’m writing about now.
Google Scholar and sundry other resources point me towards to the paper.
Determine that I need some special access to get the paper. (University has to have IEEE access, right?)
Try to figure out my (infrequently required) username/password. Fail. University server locks my n00b ass out.
Call university support. I’m told my password needs changing, but it cannot be done over the phone. A personal visit is required.
Grumble about leaving the comfort and shelter of my desk, saunter outside. (in daylight hours! omg. But supermarket has offers on ridge cut random meat flavours crisps and double/triple packs of Bounty/Snickers/Mars. Semi-win.)
Have password reset. I can has login nao? Yes, yes I can.
Head back to the comfort and safety of desk, armed with crisps and chocs.
Login to university account. Figure out account details for IEEE.
Rub hands delightedly, count instances of Gallus domesticus before their emergence and otherwise tempt the cruel gawds.
Visit IEEE, prepare to wield hammer of “download to disk” on the paper’s PDF ass.
You can no has paper for download. Not yours.
WTF?. I have access, damn you. You’re telling me I’m from the University. What’s the problem?
Your subscription type only allows download of full-text papers from 1998 onwards. Aaargh.

Some Mondays, you just wonder why the hell you even bother.