Monthly Archives: April 2005

That Fucking Cat

the mindlab

While I was typing the last post this morning, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Since it was early in the morning and nobody else was up, this startled me. I looked down, and there was a fucking cat. Mind you, we don’t own a cat.

I chased it without thinking and it ran upstairs and into my bedroom. I then chased it back downstairs, being sure to shut the doors to the bedroom and bathroom. The cat beat me downstairs, and with that, disappeared.

I’m assuming it came in through the basement. The door to the basement was cracked open the whole time, and when I first spotted the cat, I was sitting right next to this door. There must be a hole down there that it got in through and consequently escaped through.

I hate that cat. It’s the same mother fucker that always sits on my car right after I wash it.

Programming for Science

the mindlab

So I finally got around to learning some programming. It’s a language called Python Ok, so it’s somewhere between a scripting language and a full fledged programming language. So far, its been pretty easy.

I’m using it to process and plot data from work. It’s letting me do a lot of what very expensive programs like Matlab and IDL for free. Packages I am using are SciPy, matplotlib, and various other smaller packages required by those two.

Not sure if it is something that is useful to others, but if it is, it is definitely worth checking out.

Mr. & Mrs. Amoeba

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Mr. & Mrs.

Mr. 
& 
Mrs.
Amoeba
quite the pair,
off to the
neighbors,
theatre,
Grand Canyon,
and everywhere.

Over the roads,
Through all 
the burbs 
Wayup 
  &
Wiseside
Knifejacking
      the 
         curbs.

"Oooo!" Mrs. says,
"Those neighbors, a fine pair!"
"Those players," Mr. goes,
"Made you feel right there!"
"And the canyon so deep!"
They cried tossing pebbles
                     down 
                     in,
Till a serious young man chided,
"You one-celled fools, does it all lead anywhere?"
To which they both laughed and replied,
"Perhaps, but honestly who cares!"

Don’t Believe The Truth

the mindlab

“LYLA”- Oasis’ new single shows some promise for us Oasis fans. The new album, called Don’t Believe the Truth is due out the end of May and many are eagerly awaiting its release. The release is creating so much hype that one website in the UK pulled an April fools joke by “leaking” the entire album. Of course no album has been leaked but the website has generated a ton of traffic.

I heard “Lyla” this evening on XM as I was driving home from work. I am not totally sure about how much I like or dislike the song. The song isn’t as pronounced and lyrically witty as some of their other lead-off album singles. I am hopeful there will be a variety of different song types on this album as the Lyla song style isn’t my preference. I want more kick ass, drug induced, anthem fighting songs by Oasis. “Lyla” is a good start, but only if they have the big guns waiting in the shadows.

Anyhow, you can tell me what you think. Here is the link to hear the song streaming (hot off the press).

Click Here

Review: Alien Cargo (1999)

the mindlab

Sci-fi channel tends to try running several movies with similar themes in a row. In this case Alien Apocalypse was the cross-over between Bruce Campbell movies and alien-related movies. Alien Cargo rode on it’s heels and was, relatively speaking, a breath of fresh air.

In spite of Loki’s rave (or maybe anti-rave?) reviews I have never seen Space Truckers. But based on the description it seems like Alien Cargo attempted the same genre (ie. long haul space cargo workers films) and succeeded at least modestly in every way that Space Truckers failed.

Continue reading Review: Alien Cargo (1999) →

My Top Ten Albums

the mindlab

Okay, I haven’t posted in awhile but here are my top 10 albums ever.

  1. Oasis- Definitely Maybe. Tim and I, even though we are separated by a few hundred IQ points actually agree on something. This is one hell of an album. I saw them at Hammerjacks before they tore it down in Baltimore-before they became big in the states. I have tickets to see them in Philly this coming June. Hell yeah!
  2. The Doves – Last Broadcast. I find the album to be absolutely incredible and have been unable to find anything similar. Their riffs put me in a day-long trance. I get to see them in concert in mid-May and I can’t wait.
  3. Gun’s and Roses – Appetite for Destruction. I am clearly a product of the 1980’s big hair bands, including this one that marked the end of the era.
  4. Bon Jovi- Crossroads. It’s a best of album with a few “new releases” that also hit the billboard top twenty. My first CD I ever owned was Poison, after that it was all big haired 80’s rockers… out of all of them I stuck with listening to Jovi the longest. I am still a huge fan as I paid over $1,000 for tickets a year or so ago. Rock on.
  5. The Smiths – Best of Vol 1 and Vol 2. No album best of list should be without a Smiths album! These guys got me through my early teens without committing any major crimes against humanity.
  6. Beautiful South – Carry on up the charts. Another best of album, but wow these guys (and Gal) make great music. The vocals are some of the best I’ve ever heard.
  7. Andrew WK- His music energizes me and believe me I am difficult to energize! Ask Mike… typically only the mention of a Coke or a Crispy Crème will get me to move a few feet. This music is like musical Coke and donuts for me.
  8. Violent Femmes – Add it up. Yes, another greatest hits album. The Femmes got me through middle school, nuff said.
  9. Webb Bros. – Maroon. They have my surname and surprisingly have great music. Definitely a hint of the Femmes, Smiths, and The Doves in their sound.
  10. The Rocky Soundtrack(s) – Can you say Survivor? These soundtracks turn me into a machine.