My computer is still overheating. If only they made coolant for computers… Actually coolant would be handy for lots of things. This is really annoying. I was checking into getting a new power supply (I think that’s the problem) and it turns out that Sony computers use a special size that does not seem to be available anywhere – even Sony’s own parts website.
In other news, it looks like the lights are on at Fenway Park. I have a clearer view of the sky now that 461 Park Drive has been torn down (see photogallery). I think this is the first time the lights have been on this year.
All posts by Andrew
PC design
I’m still unsure what caused my computer to get so hot the other day. Since then I’ve had the cover off of the case and I’ve been tripping over the open wirey box that pretty much contains all of my productive output (music and school notes being the most valuable). Anyway, my staring at this open box got me thinking about PC design. I saw a magazine article a few weeks ago about some new design concepts for computers, so I did a little searching to see if I could find some pictures online.
It seems that Intel has a knack for finding cool things and writing about them. I found my screen saver (mentioned a few days ago) at Intel and today’s search for unique computer designs lead me back there. The Concept PC Gallery has a bunch of unique concept computers. I don’t like most of them, but there are a few gems in there. (Groom Lake and UNiMOD are my favorites.) If only these were actually available we wouldn’t be stuck trying to decorate boring computers like this.
dotcom-studio
A friend of mine told me about a very cool web site called dotcom-studio. It’s basically an online drum machine that you program via your browser, then download an audio file of your beat. There are several drum machines to choose from, including of course the TR-808 and TR-909. You could make a loop and download it into a sampler or sequencer, or just mess around with it for fun.
n + 7
I was reading yesterday about a French Group called Ouvroir de Litterature Potentielle (Workshop for Potential Literature) that has developed a technique for messing around with poems to achieve new results. The technique is called “n + 7”. You just take each substantial noun in a poem and replace it with whatever noun comes seven places later in the dictionary. I like the idea. It reminds me of sample-based electronic music and turntablism; making something new out of someone else’s creative work. I decided to give it a shot, but since I don’t really read much poetry, I’m going to use lyrics instead…
——————————————-
Radiohead Subterranean Homesick Alien – Original –
The breath of the morning
I keep forgetting
The smell of the warm summer air
I live in a town
Where you can’t smell a thing
You watch your feet
For cracks in the pavement
Up above
Aliens hover
Making home movies
For the folks back home
Of all these weird creatures
Who lock up their spirits
Drill holes in themselves
And live for their secrets
They’re all uptight
I wish that they’d swoop down in a country lane
Late at night when I’m driving
Take me on board their beautiful ship
Show me the world as I’d love to see it
I’d tell all my friends
But they’d never believe
They’d think that I’d finally lost it completely
I’d show them the stars
And the meaning of life
They’d shut me away
But I’d be all right
All right
I’m just uptight
——————————————-
Radiohead Subterranean Homesick Alien – n + 7 –
The breath of the Moro
I keep forgetting
The smell of the warm summer airburst
I live in a townie
Where you can’t smell a thinking cap
You watch your feist
For cracks in the pawnbroker
Up above
Alimentation hovers
Making home mozzarella
For the folkmoot back home
Of all these weird credibilities
Who lock up their spiritual bouquet
Drill holsters in themselves
And live for their secretors
They’re all uptight
I wish that they’d swoop down in a country langouste
Late at night when I’m driving
Take me on board their beautiful shipload
Show me the world premiere as I’d love to see it
I’d tell all my frights
But they’d never believe
They’d think that I’d finally lost it completely
I’d show them the stares
And the meaning of life insurance
They’d shut me away
But I’d be all right
All right
I’m just uptight
——————————————-
There is an article about n + 7 in this month’s Atlantic Monthly. You have to pay to download the article ($3).
Stanford Screen Saver
My computer has finished processing it’s first Work Unit of the “Stanford Alzheimer and Amyloidogenic Disease Research Program” screen saver. It works like the SETI@home sceen saver, using the power of many otherwise idle processors to get some real work done. While the Alzheimer screen saver is not quite as cool at the SETI one, I thought the cause was better so I switched.
Another, hopefully unrelated, thing that my computer is doing: It’s getting hot. I think the fan might be broken or something, because a couple days ago you could barely touch it due to the heat. It seems to be cool now though.
Laundry
I was thinking today about laundry – and the fact that my apartment has a free washer and dryer in the basement. I’ve lived in other places where there was pay laundry in the building but I would always go to the local laundromat instead. I like laundromats because they create a sense of community and they’re slightly more efficient than home washers and dryers (this could be argued). Still, nothing beats being able to just throw your dirty clothes into the washer in the basement, no quarters necessary, and come back an hour (or even a day) later to find them clean.
I’m not sure how laundry was done before washing machines were invented (I doubt it was a big concern). I have the image of Charlie from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” swishing around laundry in a vat of boiling water with what appeared to be a big wooden oar. According to this web site, people on sea voyages used to throw their laundry overboard and let it drag through the ocean. Interesting.
First Post
Hi there – for some reason today I decided to start making this website. Now it’s 10:30pm and it looks like I’ve made some pretty good progress. I think it’s time to go outside.