Sam's L33t Journal

Official Statement

At this time, the FBI cannot confirm or deny any rumors regarding the existence of this journal.

L33t Links:
Megatokyo M:tG Google Lists Olin Metacarta Del.icio.us

Current Month

May. 13th, 2008 @ 07:43 pm Hard Times Behind the Pumps

Current Mood:

thoughtful

Tags: business , peak oil

One thing I was surprised to note last weekend was the number of foreclosed or abandoned gas stations (at least that's what I assume when I see big signs seeing "CLOSED" and "Beware of Dog"). I passed two within a few blocks of eachother before I found a place to fill up the U-Haul.

Guess that makes sense: Higher prices drive up price competition, which lowers margins. Some businesses succumb to the pressure. A failed business can't come right back, so as soon as one folds, its neighbors breathe a sigh of relief and raise prices again (to the original levels or higher).

Oil hit $128 today, but it's currently hovering just below $126.

Entry Links

Leave a comment
Full Entry

Feb. 9th, 2008 @ 04:12 pm Zipcar

Current Mood:

annoyed

I took Zipcar to drive Ginneh to a job interview yesterday. Zipcar is cool and convenient, but we got lost, Ginneh got me more lost, then we were 20 minutes late and had to pay a $50 late fee. :-/ I suppose that's not the most expensive mistake one could make with a car... (That aside, I only got somewhat lost three times and had three near-death experiences while driving from Kiva Systems to Porter Square and back, pretty on par for normal Boston driving.)

Entry Links

3 comments
Leave a comment
Full Entry

Jan. 30th, 2008 @ 09:55 pm More of the Best, Programming and Otherwise

Current Mood:

chipper

Tags: art , business , food , links , math , parenting , politics , programming , random , technology

Programming:

I've been seeing quite a lot of discussions of web design style lately. Compare the emerging style of early web design with the polished Web2.0 Style. Even newer styles, such as Grunge and Hand-Drawn use the techniques of modern web design while breaking from the Web 2.0 aesthetic.
Rich Programmer Food: On compilers and the most important class for computer scientists.
An article on "Turing Tar Pits" and how programmers make things hard for themselves.
How to teach yourself programming in ten years.
10 Python Quirks: Read this if you're a Python programmer. Did you know all of those? (I didn't.)
An anecdote about teaching children programming.
Big Red Angry Text: On CSS styles for debugging

Other:

Post-It Note Art: Completely amazing!
On why "don't talk to strangers" is "just about the worst possible advice you can give a child".
An article on the Naked Rambler, who in January was free for several steps before being arrested again for his persistent nudity. *facepalm* How should society deal with such people? And should (yes, I mean that in the moral sense) the Naked Rambler just wrap / shut up and conform?
An anecdote on parenting, food, and vegetarianism.
The website for Urville, a fictional city created by a savant who now makes a living by imagining / drawing / writing about / talking about said fictional city. Also a particularly good example of (what I'd refer to as) 90's Crazy web design style.
A recipe for Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade
A video on turning a sphere inside-out. Nifty. Watch if you're interested in topology / are wondering what the heck "topology" means.
On creating a warning marker to last for 10,000 years.
Why Starbucks actually helps local coffee shops.

Entry Links

2 comments
Leave a comment
Full Entry

Dec. 23rd, 2007 @ 09:25 pm Working on the First Impressions

Current Mood:

amused

Tags: business , food , friends , self

My free time this weekend has given me a chance to try CrazyBlindDate, a sister site to OKCupid for those who want more focus on meeting new people IRL as opposed to wasting inordinate amounts of time online. This evening, I met a charming young woman at the L.A. Burdick Chocolate Cafe in Harvard Square, and we conversed over some excellent hot cocoa.

Entry Links

3 comments
Leave a comment
Full Entry

Jun. 11th, 2007 @ 10:28 pm P.S. Stop Sending Nuts

Current Mood:

amused

Tags: business , tv

Apparently, CBS is bringing back Jericho, at least for a bit. Is this the new strategy for TV marketing execs on an uncertain show: Cancel the show without warning on a cliffhanger at the end of the season, if fans complain en masse, generating lots of free publicity, revive the show for a bit, advising the fans that they'd better get more people to watch or else? Probably not, as this strategy wouldn't do much for the happiness of the cast and production crew. Still, it's an interesting / alarming idea.

For those of you that haven't been following the show, the first season is available to watch here (although I believe that only works for people connecting to the site from the US). Also, they'll apparently be releasing the first season on DVD, so that would certainly be worth renting (or purchasing, if it's reasonably priced).

Entry Links

Sam's L33t Journal

(May Be a Secret Master Plan)