If Only His Name was Tommy...

Pretty cool story about a blind video game wiz:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050728/ap_on_hi_te/games_blind_gamer

Once Again, Leave it to the Japanese...

If anyone was going to be the first to develop a female android, was there any doubt it would the Japanese:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4714135.stm

Get ready for a Blade Runner reality.

Stop Whining About The Heat

Maybe it's just me, but the "heat wave" we are having here in NYC doesn't bother me one bit. Bear in mind that I wore a suit to work today and did a good bit of walking. Sure, I get a little sticky, but it's not really that bad.

Perhaps I just have a good perspective on weather. My utter hatred of cold winter weather makes me truly appreciative of not having to wear a heavy coat, no burning sensation from icy wind on my face, walking without having to high step through snow drifts, etc. It's also possible that my time in a Russian banya last week reset my internal thermometer.

In any case, I say bring on the heat.

Half-Life 2

I got this game for Christmas, made great progress until around 2/25, and then haven't played much (daddies don't get too much time for video games). I just finally finished the single player game today during one of Jessica's naps.

WOW!! What a great game - I mean really, really great. If you are in any way into first person shooters, well... if you are you probably already own the game. But on the off chance you don't own this game, just get it.

Now, on to really hunkering down with CS:Source.

-Andrew

Thoughts on Terrorism

I try to keep politics out of this blog, but please permit this one musing. If you don't like it, don't read it.

In thinking about the horrible terror attacks in England yesterday, I cannot help but remember back to 9/11. As a New Yorker I remember that awful day like it was yesterday. I'm sure the memories will live with me forever.

Then I started thinking about what has - or more properly, hasn't - happened: The US has not been hit with a major terror attack since 9/11. Considering the transportation bombings in Spain and the UK this seems kind of odd.

If the goal of these Islamic terrorists is to get us out of Iraq (or Saudi Arabia, or stop supporting Israel, or maybe they don't like our TV shows, or whatever), why not attack the US? Sure, Spain was helping us in Iraq, and the UK has been our strongest ally in the War on Terror. But isn't it us that they really want?

Then I started thinking. What would the American reaction be if New York were hit again? It wouldn't even have to be spectacular like 9/11. Why not just blow up our subway, or take out a tunnel or something (make my commute a slightly worse nightmare than it already is)?

Here's why I think we haven't been hit: Can you imagine the US reacting like Spain? Can you see people calling for us to change our policies because Al Qaida thinks we should? Sure, some fringe leftists would call for us to stop fighting the War on Terror. But I think the vast majoring of Americans would be so strengthened in their resolve that it would only increase the amount of pressure we are putting on terrorists worldwide. And they don't want that.

If Bush had stronger backing (and if we were hit again, he would have MUCH stronger backing), where would the bombs drop next? Syria? Iran? Riyadh? Paris (wishful thinking)? Which Islamic dictator wants to be deposed next? Which terrorist leader wants to crawl deeper into his cave?

Maybe I give the terrorists too much credit, or maybe I give too little credit to all of the cogs in our homeland security defense. I could also be way off base in my speculation around how Americans would react to another attack. I could be... but I don't think I am.

Outfits

I truly despise the process of choosing my day's outfit each morning. I mean, I really hate it. Which colors look nice together? Is this formal enough to wear with that? Tuck in, leave out? Etc.

Ech!! Who needs it? I only wear clothes to keep warm and avoid the stares associated with nudism.

My wife really pushed me on this too while I was getting dressed this morning. She asked me why I insist on wearing "that color combination" ("that color combination" being greenish khaki pants with a gray button down shirt). She got me at a vulnerable moment when I am on the verge of making an important clothing decision.

I am very, very close to pulling an Einstein and choosing 1 outfit to wear all time. That means I pick 1 style of shirt, 1 style of pants, and buy them in quantity. Each day I just grab any one of the identical pants, any one of the identical shirts, and wear it the same way. No decisions. I love the idea of this. There are only a few questions I need to answer:

- How much am I willing to invest in this? You've gotta figure even at $30 per pair of pants and $30 per shirt buying, say, 8-10 pairs of each adds up fast.

I'm up for any advice anyone has. Just comment on this post please. Thanks!

- What outfit do I commit to? White button down shirt / tan pants / brown shoes & belt seems to be a good idea, but what about summer? Can I downshift to polos (then add another 8-10 shirts I need to buy)? The devil is in the details.

- How do I tell family members not to buy me new clothes and confound my plan by introducing variety?

- What do I do about accessories (shoes and belt for a man)? Do I get 2 identical sets of shoes/belt (you don't want to wear the same pair of shoes on consecutive days - wears them out faster or something)?

Walk in Another Man's Face

Ever wonder what you would look like if you were Asian? Black? White? An adult baby? Painted by some nutty artist? Well, wonder no more my friends! Simply get a nice JPG of your face and follow the simple process starting at this page:

http://www.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~morph/Transformer/

Maad props to my Chinese Brotha from anotha motha Andy Hsueh.