John's Junk Drawer - Junk Drawer

Music, and The Nature of Genres

nospam@example.com (John) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 13:30:12 -0700

The reason people don't like a particular musical genre has nothing to do with how they feel about the good songs in the genre. It's because they never hear the good songs.

Every genre is a mountain of coal with a few diamonds scattered and buried inside. People who don't like a particular genre are put off by the crappy songs. . . the coal.

It has to be this way. If there were mountains of diamonds, then diamonds would be looked upon in the same way we look upon coal. In fact, if diamonds were as plentiful as coal we would burn them in our furnaces.

That is the nature of genres.

-djr

Computer Scientist vs Programmer

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:53:25 -0700

A Computer Scientist Says:

"This code is very reliable. There is only about a one in a billion chance of it ever failing."

Exact Same Statement Made by a Programmer:

"On a typical laptop, this code will fail about once per minute."

-djr

We have a choice in everything, except not choosing

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:17:18 -0700

Eastern philosophy = "Nothing matters"

Western philosophy = "Everything matters"

They might both be wrong, but which one would you rather have working on your mission-critical engineering project?

-djr

Note to celebrities

nospam@example.com (John) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:32:41 -0700

You know you've truly arrived when newspapers keep a draft of your obituary on file.

-djr

Pretzel Logic.

nospam@example.com (John) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:01:00 -0700

Having so much faith in logic that you believe it eliminates the need for faith.

-djr

Limitations vs. Blessings

nospam@example.com (John) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:40:34 -0700

"All things work together for good to them that love God..." -Romans 8:28

All of creation is limitations. It would have been great if we had mental telepathy, for example. But mental telepathy wasn't in the design, so we learned other, more interesting ways to communicate.

In doing so, we discovered that those other ways we learned --to overcome the limitation and express ourselves-- have their own beautiful characteristics. Those beautiful characteristics would have been unimaginable, and completely hidden, if we had been "blessed" with telepathy, and were not limited in this way.

Consider... music, poetry, dance, paintings, and sculpture, as examples of things that would never have been.

Within every limitation there is some new, previously unseen and unknown thing to learn, and learn about. And with the learning, comes the purpose.

-djr

Simply Amazing

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:15:56 -0700

Why...

...do you have to be like others?

Mostly Molecular Machines

nospam@example.com (John) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:50:32 -0700

This is cool:

The three-dimensional components produced are themselves used to build other machines. Chemical reactions are generally used to store and provide energy that is converted to kinetic energy for use by the machines. In essence, chemical reactions are primarily the boilers providing the "steam" used to make the molecular machines move.

-djr

Appearance of Ignorance vs Learning

nospam@example.com (John) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:04:49 -0700

There's a hierarchy here.

You can appear ignorant without asking a question, but

You can't ask a question without appearing ignorant.

This is because the simple act of asking a question is a demonstration to observers that you are (or believe you might be) ignorant about something.

Either way. Whether you're appearing ignorant because you're asking a question, or because you're (for example) just trying something you don't know how to do, it seems to be best to look ignorant.

That's because, when you look ignorant, you have a better chance of learning something new, than when you do not look ignorant.

-John

Moving the Junk Drawer Over...

nospam@example.com (John) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:14:02 -0700

Hi.

The plan is to start using this blog for Junk-Drawer entries from now on. I'll start by moving the old entries over from old, static Junk-Drawer page, where they have been on for the last few years.

When moved here, the old entries will be given their original posting. Some of the oldest entries (entries before 15-Feb-2004) didn't have dates on the static page. Those will be given dates here that start in January of 2003 (though the earliest ones will not be moved over).

So here goes. next post in this Junk Drawer blog category, will be the oldest one from the old static JD page. It will be displayed below this entry, because of its early date.
-djr

This Thing In Here

nospam@example.com (John) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:43:00 -0700

It is a wild horse, kicking violently at its stall walls, trying to get out.

Between it and the easily-kicked-open stall door lies only a small bale
of hay called "patent protection".

And I can't get this wild horse to jump that damn bale of hay to save my life.

Four added years now of kicking, and still counting...

Everything in moderation, including moderation.

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:00:00 -0700

Can you be an investor and a trader (an "invader"?)?

Can you be a top-down and a bottom-up software developer?

Can you be a rebel and embrace traditional values?

Can you be brave and cautious?

I hope so.

= = = = = = = = = = =

Be not righteous over much;
neither make thyself over wise;
why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish:
why shouldest thou die before thy time?

Ecclesiastes 7:16-17

Highly produced, widely hyped, and cross-sold on all your favorite TV shows

nospam@example.com (John) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:53:00 -0700

This is not rock & roll.

The Human Condition

nospam@example.com (John) — Sat, 20 May 2006 19:09:00 -0700

Imagine a machine that has been specifically designed to be completely useless without lots of help from other--identically designed--machines.

Big God

nospam@example.com (John) — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 13:51:00 -0700

A god who's true nature can be fully comprehended, explained, or understood by me or any worldly, mortal person or group, is a small god who is not worthy of worship.