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[23 Aug 2032|12:00am] |
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Write here anything you like. All replies to this entry will be screened. Please leave contact details if you want me to reply without unscreening your comment.
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[11 May 2008|06:41pm] |
The Russian rewired my blade today, without even having an epee wire, in about two minutes flat. I learned some new words as he was doing so, but I won't type them here. "Tomorrow", he said ,and jammed it in a bookcase to dry. I don't doubt him for a minute. I fenced much better today than Friday, and I'm very happy. Friday was something of a dead loss. It's all to do with making I take the fight to the opponent, rather than letting it come to me, which is entirely in the mind. V reacted very nervously to a sustained threat, and basically lost because of it, whereas on Friday, when I didn't have the mental energy to keep it up, he just attacked into me and won because I wasn't threatening him.
Other stuff that's happened... urk. Also, fear! But I'm happy.
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[09 May 2008|01:12am] |
Woken up at 3am, sounds like we're into a storm. This is still the overture, it's been thundering tremendously for 30 minutes now, and flashing with lightning. R and I just ran around outside in the first droplets, making sure that everything is under shelter and fixed down. The dogs are cowering under chairs in darkened corners of the house, and the cat is hiding. And just as I write this, the steady patter of heavy warning droplets becomes the thrumm of rain, a wash from the skies, heavier and heavier, swelling into the main theme of the storm. The thunder crashes louder than ever, but now the noise of the rain subdues all else.
I can only imagine the sound outside, every time I think the storm has arrived, it doubles in intensity. I am sleeping on the floor in the lower part of the bungalow, should I go up the step into the kitchen? Will the power hold?
And almost as suddenly as the force arrived, it is gone, and the gurgling of water draining away replaces even the soft sound of raindrops on the roof. There is still thunder, but by now it is somebody else's thunder, up in the hills or over the border. The cat meows plaintively, she weathered the storm outside and must be coaxed inside. L wakes up and says, "It's slightly damp out there." in an unmistakably Scottish accent. A car splashes past.
I am going back to sleep. In the ten minutes it took to type this, it is over.
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[07 May 2008|06:30pm] |
I'm quite happy and bouncy, I just thought this was cool, so I'm making a technical post anyway.
I think that statement labels are one of the most underused features of Java. It's elegant, and a very simple solution to a problem which people often solve using boolean variables and complex additional conditions, incurring considerable runtime overhead. Most people probably know that this is valid Java:
LABEL: {
...
if (cond) break LABEL;
...
if (cond) break LABEL;
...
}
Or this:
LABEL:
while (...) {
while (...) {
.... break LABEL;
}
}
But did you know that all of the following are also valid Java
boolean c0 = ...;
L0: if (c0) { }
if (c0) L1: { }
if (c0) { } else L2: { }
if (c0) { } else L3: if (c0) { }
So, having accepted that, what does the following code fragment print?
if (true) L4:
break L4;
else
System.out.println("First else clause");
L5: if (true)
break L5;
else
System.out.println("Second else clause");
For bonus marks:
1) What is the bytecode generated by a recent Sun javac? This might surprise you, given the design policies of Java, but it makes a lot of sense.
2) Under what circumstances will javac not do that? (This, every Java programmer ought to know.)
( Application example of this )
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[07 May 2008|12:39am] |
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I have so much more to write but I never seem to get a free second in which to write it.
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[05 May 2008|12:03pm] |
The Russian greeted me with a smile which grew ever broader as I came into the room. It took me a minute to switch my head into the right language - he thought I didn't understand, and at first I didn't. Two years ago I was last here, and the matnas has been renovated."Construction" translates a woman, probably his wife. I grabbed kit and a weapon. "Don't you need to warm up?" asks the English-speaking girl. "No, I already swam and cycled." I'm already late, and I rarely bother, although my muscles might thank me better if I did. And so we fight, and Yakov watches, as is his way, without saying anything. He is like the godfather, silently watching his small part of the world dance to his whim. When we are done, he asks a question, I guess the word means "to win", so I say yes, and as the caretaker turns out the lights, the four of us chat collectively, in a mixture of languages, each translating odd words for the other. "Tomorrow" insists Yakov, and we go our separate ways.
Today, I must go back, I am expected.
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[05 May 2008|11:36am] |
People here show their religion in their driving. Actually, they show that they have religion by driving at all, one has to put one's faith in some deity as prerequisite to getting in a car. But drivers show exactly which deity in small ways. A car with a small crucifix hanging from the rear view mirror is followed by one with a magen david. The car behind has a hamsa, and the next one has a small yellow plastic duck. Stickers on the back are more promiscuous and varied, assorted prayers for wellbeing or safety, support for a local prophet, or a warning to keep your distance.
The cars, however, are universally small, white and crappy.
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[01 May 2008|10:46pm] |
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Drinking Talisker and eating pita and charif with all the windows and doors open.
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[01 May 2008|05:27pm] |
The airport was very civilized with signs in all languages. We walked along a glass corridor and peered down at the departure hall below. The immigration guard didn't care much about us, and we were in. The train station had moved, the entrance is now on the left. We were late, because of the madness on the plane, and we waited 45 minutes for the train. The station was cool and breezy, and we sat under a nice green tree. R said he could do with a drink. I offered a chocolate bar, but the only drink we had was scotch, and I don't think he meant that.
The train doors closed, it started off, and then the guard announced: "There are no trains beyond X after 10pm." We cussed. After an hour, the train stopped and we got off. Everybody else went away, leaving us in the middle of nowhere.
The station manager had a light, a whistle, a metal detector and a standard issue pistol in a shoulder stock. He asked us what we wanted. "A train." "It's on platform 2." "No, north." "Oh." He shrugged. The next train north is in a few hours. We walked up and down the concrete platform and cussed. Then we sat down and cussed. Then R went to sleep while I walked up and down and cussed, and after an hour we changed places and I slept while he walked up and down and cussed.
The station has been built over some time. The original rough concrete pillars and roof were extended, at some later date, with bars and windows, enclosing the platform. Later, a security gate was added, and after that, cabling, sound and monitors were installed, each layer of modification glued roughly over the previous layer with obvious joins. Nothing really made it comfortable, but on the other hand it wasn't deliberately uncomfortable, as English stations are wont to be.
At 4:01 in the morning, a train arrived, going north. We were the only passengers, save the guard and his friend. We got on and the guard went to sleep. At the end of the line, the guard stayed asleep, so we worked out how to open the doors and got off.
The taxi had clearly had a robust interaction with another vehicle. The engine sounded as if something was falling off, but I couldn't tell what by ear. R was more talkative than I, and explained to the taxi driver about my big bag. The driver asked, "mah zeh saif?" and R translated, "fencing, a sport with swords". It isn't a common word, or sport. He understood "cherev".
As I lay in my blankets, I heard a "door-YOWL-slam" combination, R had put the cat out of his bed. The yowling went on, getting closer and further away as Tabitha explored. A few minutes of meows, and another "door-YOWL-slam" combination left Tabitha outside the house. I fell asleep.
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[30 Apr 2008|09:03am] |
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*panic* Have to get to Stansted. Didn't expect that!
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[29 Apr 2008|04:11pm] |
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If I really have to write a letter to the credit card company just to get my title changed, I'm damn well going to get it changed to something worthwhile, like "Supreme General". It's not worth writing a letter for "Doctor".
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[29 Apr 2008|01:08am] |
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It only takes a tinny, looped recording, "Please mind the stairs" to remind me that I'm in England. Nowhere else in the world ... Not even the USA ...
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[27 Apr 2008|11:18pm] |
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This is a hell of a time of night to break my writer's block. I wish I'd managed to break it two days ago by just being disciplined. I have to complete this paper tonight, then leave at 5am to get a plane to Glasgow. Back to Bristol airport Monday night, unpack and re-pack Tuesday, then get on a plane at Heathrow on Wednesday. At least I can pack light for that second trip.
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[25 Apr 2008|05:06pm] |
Films I saw on my last transatlantic hop:
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
An autobiographical film about the Iranian revolution. Interesting and worth watching. It's very difficult to explain or understand why certain things are, and this film makes no attempt in many cases. It simply states that they are, and gives a very simple, factual account of what happened. I think as a consequence of this, some people will fail to understand what is being said, and many will probably understand better than I. It was a beautiful film.
August Rush
A challenging film about the musical talents and ambitions of a young boy. Some unexpected twists to the plot kept me watching from start to finish. Unfortunately, for a film about music, the choice of music simply wasn't up to par. At one point, a waltz was announced, and played in 4/4 time, the use of the Elgar Cello Concerto as the "magnificent cello piece" at the end was simply soapy, and other pieces throughout were generally weak. Worth watching, but would have benefited very much from some musical direction from someone who loved music, rather than simply appreciated it professionally.
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
Clearly the first element in a serial, consisted mostly of expositions with one or two set pieces. An interesting universe, and after a while the acting settled down enough for me to actually care what happened to the characters. I think I'd rather watch the old Narnia TV series. I'll watch the sequels if they come my way, but I won't chase after them. I suspect the book is much better, from what I've read of it, and I will probably buy it.
I Am Legend
A highly competent rework of an over-told story. At several points, I found myself hoping that the lead character would just step off a building so I could watch something else. No surprises in either plot or acting. Thankfully it wasn't gun- or macho-heavy.
The Great Debaters
A powerfully acted feel-good movie which was an entertaining way to pass the time. I skipped the first half.
Enchanted
Not quite light hearted enough to qualify as a funny chick flick. She was annoying, he was annoying. I skipped the second half.
Sweeney Todd
I wasn't in the mood for a musical. I skipped both halves.
Other films which did not appeal
No doubt I am a heathen on several counts:
Atonement - bleh, does this plot really promise anything?
Becoming Jane - see above.
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - see above.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets - what?
The Savages - see above.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - bleh.
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[24 Apr 2008|02:00pm] |
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It's refreshing to be in a country where nobody has heard of Hannah Montana. Kind of spoils the effect of my new t-shirt though.
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[20 Apr 2008|10:47pm] |
The hotel have given me a small box marked "Bounce". I think it's a cleaning product.
Shevek, with added bounce.
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[20 Apr 2008|03:56am] |
I am bouncy madly happy, for I have had a wonderful evening with people I hadn't even met until yesterday, and they fed me, and we sang songs. More funny stories and anecdotes probably best told in person. :-)
*bounce*
(still slightly culture shocked)
*bounce*
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[17 Apr 2008|03:04pm] |
<Shevek> why do people care more about hair than about a dynamic linker?
<AndrewH> women?
<Phelyan> dynamic linkers don't get you laid
World never changes. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
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[17 Apr 2008|01:40pm] |
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There is something about the air here. Yesterday I woke up curly. Today, I woke up with an AFRO! What do I DO with THIS?
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