Every night, I need to perform a certain task: closing the chicken coop so no predators can get in and eat the chickens. I've closed that door every night for years, and it's totally routine by now, so it's not surprising that I can't always recall the act of closure after I get back in the house. Sometimes I go back out later to check whether I really closed it, and I almost always have, but there were a couple times that I forgot.
I find that the best way to remember the completion of a mundane task is to do something irregular shortly after it. For example, I might go out of my way slightly to hop over a piece of stray wood while leaving the area. Then if I wonder whether I actually closed the door, I remember "oh, there was that log by the door", and continue my activities without worry.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Peace Sign
It seems some people are really looking for something to be offended at.
Take, for instance, the peace sign. It started being a thing during the Cold War. I have met people that are offended by it because they think it looks like a broken cross and is therefore an assault on Christianity.
Well, it's not.
The peace sign stands for Nuclear Disarmament - the chords on the circle represent flag semaphore signals. The low diagonals are the N, and the vertical line is the D. Nuclear disarmament would, theoretically, lead to peace, hence the name "peace sign."
One could make a case about the possibility of symbols being co-opted for something other than their intended purpose. (Obligatory example: the swastika.) But the peace sign is still used for something like its intended purpose - "peace."
Relevant, and hilarious: Windows brings out the Rorschach test in everyone
Take, for instance, the peace sign. It started being a thing during the Cold War. I have met people that are offended by it because they think it looks like a broken cross and is therefore an assault on Christianity.
Well, it's not.
The peace sign stands for Nuclear Disarmament - the chords on the circle represent flag semaphore signals. The low diagonals are the N, and the vertical line is the D. Nuclear disarmament would, theoretically, lead to peace, hence the name "peace sign."
One could make a case about the possibility of symbols being co-opted for something other than their intended purpose. (Obligatory example: the swastika.) But the peace sign is still used for something like its intended purpose - "peace."
Relevant, and hilarious: Windows brings out the Rorschach test in everyone
Monday, October 5, 2015
Student Hunger Drive Kickoff 2015
The Quad City Student Hunger Drive, in which my high school participates, had its kickoff tonight. Our National Honor Society chapter, plus a couple of other interested students, spent the last few weeks preparing our entry into the annual skit competition. In our skit, we follow choreographed motions around the stage holding boxes with letters on them while singers in the foreground sing our parody of some popular song (I forget which) until the end, when we stack the boxes in such a way that the letters on them spell "River Bend", the name of the food bank backing up the QC Student Hunger Drive.
I noticed that almost every skit was composed of a parody of a popular song sung by a handful of people and some movement from the rest. Maybe the other schools saw that we won last year with that arrangement and followed the model. Though some were thoroughly entertaining, it got a little cheap after a while. In my opinion, the most powerful skit was the one without any spoken or sung words, only a solemn tune in the background. Food was handed over and a sign with "actions speak louder than words" was held up.
After all the skits concluded, the judges deliberated for a moment, and produced a proclamation that there was a tie - involving my school - for first place. Each school performed its skit again, and the winner was determined by the loudness of the cheers. We lost that tiebreak and the two-ton bonus from Hy-Vee went in full to the other school, but we were satisfied with our own performance.
I noticed that almost every skit was composed of a parody of a popular song sung by a handful of people and some movement from the rest. Maybe the other schools saw that we won last year with that arrangement and followed the model. Though some were thoroughly entertaining, it got a little cheap after a while. In my opinion, the most powerful skit was the one without any spoken or sung words, only a solemn tune in the background. Food was handed over and a sign with "actions speak louder than words" was held up.
After all the skits concluded, the judges deliberated for a moment, and produced a proclamation that there was a tie - involving my school - for first place. Each school performed its skit again, and the winner was determined by the loudness of the cheers. We lost that tiebreak and the two-ton bonus from Hy-Vee went in full to the other school, but we were satisfied with our own performance.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Efficiency in the Unconscious
It's fairly well known that the human mind continues working on problems even when not consciously thinking about them. It is also known that with practice, a "feel" for the task - an intuition - can be developed. Explicitly thinking about every aspect of the task every time it is performed would reduce effectiveness dramatically. It follows that it is advantageous to move thinking processes to the unconscious mind, where the results can come together with a minimum of conscious effort and stress.
The distinction between Windows user mode and kernel mode comes to mind here. User mode is the CPU mode in which normal processes - personal apps and most OS components - function. Kernel mode accesses the hardware more or less directly and works in ways not visible to user-mode code. The team responsible for IIS (Internet Information Services, a web server) at Microsoft made the decision to move much of the functionality into kernel mode because it is so much faster, but not understandable from the conscious (user mode) side.
Practicing complex tasks eventually gets them into the mind's kernel mode. Though what happens there might not be expressible in user mode (in words), it has access to more resources and power.
The distinction between Windows user mode and kernel mode comes to mind here. User mode is the CPU mode in which normal processes - personal apps and most OS components - function. Kernel mode accesses the hardware more or less directly and works in ways not visible to user-mode code. The team responsible for IIS (Internet Information Services, a web server) at Microsoft made the decision to move much of the functionality into kernel mode because it is so much faster, but not understandable from the conscious (user mode) side.
Practicing complex tasks eventually gets them into the mind's kernel mode. Though what happens there might not be expressible in user mode (in words), it has access to more resources and power.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Automatic Restrooms, Amusement Phones
I noticed this sign in an airport in a movie, which I render here as ASCII art:
AUTOMATIC AMUSEMENT
<========== =========>
Restrooms Phones
To me, this sign appeared to be composed of two columns, each with a direction and a place -presumably to be found in that direction - described with an adjective on top. Therefore, automatic restrooms were to be found to the left, and amusement phones to the right, or so I thought, until I realized that neither of those made sense.
In reality, the sign was indicating that restrooms were to the left and that phones were to the right, and automatic amusement (an arcade?) was somewhere nearby, possibly up ahead. Hooray for typesetting!
AUTOMATIC AMUSEMENT
<========== =========>
Restrooms Phones
To me, this sign appeared to be composed of two columns, each with a direction and a place -presumably to be found in that direction - described with an adjective on top. Therefore, automatic restrooms were to be found to the left, and amusement phones to the right, or so I thought, until I realized that neither of those made sense.
In reality, the sign was indicating that restrooms were to the left and that phones were to the right, and automatic amusement (an arcade?) was somewhere nearby, possibly up ahead. Hooray for typesetting!
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Don't Let the Moderators Anger You
I just watched the Republican presidential debate, and one common occurrence was the inciting of conflict by the moderators' choice of questions. Prompts frequently included divisive language like "why is [other candidate] wrong" or "[other candidate] said [bad thing] about you", and seemed designed to nettle one person or another, occasionally leading to raised voices and talking over one another. Several candidates were careful to not get into such arguments, but some did fall into the trap.
When chaos breaks out, everybody looks silly and no productive discussion is done. The moderators are trying to put on a show - one even said so before the debate. They want people to tune in to see the fireworks. My advice to the candidates (ha!) is to make your responses lively but intelligent, and don't get angry at sound bites, that is, don't get sucked into arguments with the other candidates.
When chaos breaks out, everybody looks silly and no productive discussion is done. The moderators are trying to put on a show - one even said so before the debate. They want people to tune in to see the fireworks. My advice to the candidates (ha!) is to make your responses lively but intelligent, and don't get angry at sound bites, that is, don't get sucked into arguments with the other candidates.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Manito-wish 2015
This week, I was away - out of town and out of communication. I was up in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, on my high school's annual trip to the Manito-wish YMCA's leadership and outdoor skills camp. This year, my class was sent on a three-day, two-night, completely outside camping trip amidst the normal Manito-wish activities.
The first day (Tuesday) consisted mostly of the eight-hour bus ride from the school to the site. Upon arrival, we unpacked into our cabins and were introduced to our counselors. For my group, those introductions included a summary of what we would be doing, along with advice on what to bring along on the camping trip ("on trail", as they call it). After dinner, we were shown all the non-personal equipment that would be brought on trail, like a compass, the map, a dromedary, utensils, pots/pans, water purification chemicals, et cetera. Those items were packed into a wooden box with backpack straps.
The next day after breakfast, my group brought all our personal stuff (e.g. clothes, water bottles, flashlights) to the main building, all packed in a small drawstring bag, to get packed. It was a challenge getting all the sleeping bags and sleeping pads in the big Duluth bags, but we managed it, and were soon walking to the dock. A three-and-a-half hour canoeing trip ensued, with one break for lunch on a convenient lake shore. I thoroughly enjoyed canoeing, especially down the river in which obstacles such as sandbars, rocks, and fallen trees made navigation interesting. Transporting the canoes and bags around a dam was not so enjoyable, especially in the brief downpour that occurred at that exact moment, but we got through it.
When we arrived at the campsite landing that evening, we put the canoes on shore and carried the bags a half-mile to the actual campsite. Tents were put up, a clothesline was hung (for wet stuff), and a fire was started. For dinner was chili, the ingredients of which had been brought along in the wooden box. An exceedingly great amount of cayenne pepper was accidentally added to the chili, so it was very spicy. Cleaning the pot afterwards was also a worthy challenge, as we were not allowed to leave any trace of human activity on nature, that is, not even small amounts of food could be left to decompose. So we scraped the burned bottom into a trash bag, and strained the lake water we had used for soaking it. We got to sleep around 11 PM.
On Thursday morning, we got up around 7 AM and began scrounging for firewood to make breakfast. I would have been fine with something simple (read: trivial to prepare), but the counselor had planned for us to cook potatoes, eggs (real eggs), and bacon. We also had to bake the bread that would be eaten with peanut butter and jelly for lunch. By the time we had all that cooked, eaten, and cleaned up after, it was almost noon. We walked the half mile back to the landing and began the canoe trip back upriver. The rapids proved unmanageable from the other direction, and much getting-out-and-pushing was had. After four hours of aquatic hauling, we finally reached our second campsite, which was slightly less than a mile away from our original starting point.
No portaging was necessary to get to the second campsite - it was literally right on the shore - so after putting up the canoes, we got right to work with the tents. With one night of experience on our side, we were slightly more effective than previously, but the cold was still a challenge. (I was much, much happier after changing into a set of dry clothes.) That night's dinner was a simple quinoa soup/stew with onions, garlic, corn, and whatever other spices we had left over. Since we were careful to not overcook the food, the pot was easy to clean. The tarp (which we used to protect the extra bags from possible rain) was difficult to set up in the dark, especially considering that one of the four ropes needed to tie it up was attached to one of the canoes and not possible to remove. We eventually got a triangular configuration going, and went to bed. Sleeping that night was difficult with the cold, and I woke up several times from it. It didn't help that no dry long pants were available. Fortunately, getting into certain curled positions and wrapping my jacket around my legs brought sufficient heat.
Friday morning, we were in a little bit of a rush to meet the appointed paddle-in time. No fire had to be made for breakfast, but we were dangerously low on fuel, and the portable stove went out once. It was rather convenient that we didn't have to sterilize the dishes that time (since we were about to head home), and effective delegation got the bags packed and canoes in the water just in time. Meeting up with the other two on-trail groups at the appointed bend in the lake, we sang the required song as we paddled ashore. The work did not end there - we cleaned the canoes and hauled them back to on-shore storage, and went to the main building to clean the other gear.
Much brushing was required on the tents, which seemed to continuously fill themselves with sand as if by magic. The Duluth packs and the plastic liners inside them were washed, hung out to dry, and then brushed. The Dutch oven in which we had baked the bread over a fire proved Herculean to clean; the soot on it required many cycles of washing and scrubbing with steel wool. We did get all the cleaning done in a total of about two hours, and were permitted to go shower. (Yay!)
After that and lunch at the dining hall, it was time for the ropes courses. My group first went to the giant swing, which is a bar onto which two people are hooked, hung on a line pulled up along to a telephone pole by a row of people, at the top of which a release rope can be pulled that will send it swinging the other way at exceptional velocity. Now, heights are stressful for me, but I went on that device last year, and I decided to do it again this time, joined by my canoeing partner. It was scary going up, but the swinging part was great. The next element was a catwalk, for which I only served on the belay team, both for the sake of time and because I had had enough height-induced terror for the day. My group ended with an element of the low ropes course: a setup that challenged us to get everybody across a short divide from one platform to another via a swinging rope. We never succeeded - two people could never quite get their legs up enough - but we had a lot of fun, and I learned that I can successfully swing on a rope.
In the evening after dinner, we did a reflection activity in which we found components of nature that symbolize our experience. That was brief and relaxing, and it gave us a break before we finished cleaning that Dutch oven. When that was sufficiently polished, we were permitted to join the other groups around the campfire. There, s'mores were had, and I joined the mathematics teacher, a guitar-playing student, and a dean in entertaining the other campers with music from a book of old songs. Good times were had by all.
Saturday morning after breakfast, detail cleaning was done on the main building and in the cabins. With everyone available to help, we finished in good time, and sat with all the counselors for a final time of reflection. At 10 AM, we got on the bus, and I went into a low-power state for the whole ride back to school. I've never been so happy to see home.
The first day (Tuesday) consisted mostly of the eight-hour bus ride from the school to the site. Upon arrival, we unpacked into our cabins and were introduced to our counselors. For my group, those introductions included a summary of what we would be doing, along with advice on what to bring along on the camping trip ("on trail", as they call it). After dinner, we were shown all the non-personal equipment that would be brought on trail, like a compass, the map, a dromedary, utensils, pots/pans, water purification chemicals, et cetera. Those items were packed into a wooden box with backpack straps.
The next day after breakfast, my group brought all our personal stuff (e.g. clothes, water bottles, flashlights) to the main building, all packed in a small drawstring bag, to get packed. It was a challenge getting all the sleeping bags and sleeping pads in the big Duluth bags, but we managed it, and were soon walking to the dock. A three-and-a-half hour canoeing trip ensued, with one break for lunch on a convenient lake shore. I thoroughly enjoyed canoeing, especially down the river in which obstacles such as sandbars, rocks, and fallen trees made navigation interesting. Transporting the canoes and bags around a dam was not so enjoyable, especially in the brief downpour that occurred at that exact moment, but we got through it.
When we arrived at the campsite landing that evening, we put the canoes on shore and carried the bags a half-mile to the actual campsite. Tents were put up, a clothesline was hung (for wet stuff), and a fire was started. For dinner was chili, the ingredients of which had been brought along in the wooden box. An exceedingly great amount of cayenne pepper was accidentally added to the chili, so it was very spicy. Cleaning the pot afterwards was also a worthy challenge, as we were not allowed to leave any trace of human activity on nature, that is, not even small amounts of food could be left to decompose. So we scraped the burned bottom into a trash bag, and strained the lake water we had used for soaking it. We got to sleep around 11 PM.
On Thursday morning, we got up around 7 AM and began scrounging for firewood to make breakfast. I would have been fine with something simple (read: trivial to prepare), but the counselor had planned for us to cook potatoes, eggs (real eggs), and bacon. We also had to bake the bread that would be eaten with peanut butter and jelly for lunch. By the time we had all that cooked, eaten, and cleaned up after, it was almost noon. We walked the half mile back to the landing and began the canoe trip back upriver. The rapids proved unmanageable from the other direction, and much getting-out-and-pushing was had. After four hours of aquatic hauling, we finally reached our second campsite, which was slightly less than a mile away from our original starting point.
No portaging was necessary to get to the second campsite - it was literally right on the shore - so after putting up the canoes, we got right to work with the tents. With one night of experience on our side, we were slightly more effective than previously, but the cold was still a challenge. (I was much, much happier after changing into a set of dry clothes.) That night's dinner was a simple quinoa soup/stew with onions, garlic, corn, and whatever other spices we had left over. Since we were careful to not overcook the food, the pot was easy to clean. The tarp (which we used to protect the extra bags from possible rain) was difficult to set up in the dark, especially considering that one of the four ropes needed to tie it up was attached to one of the canoes and not possible to remove. We eventually got a triangular configuration going, and went to bed. Sleeping that night was difficult with the cold, and I woke up several times from it. It didn't help that no dry long pants were available. Fortunately, getting into certain curled positions and wrapping my jacket around my legs brought sufficient heat.
Friday morning, we were in a little bit of a rush to meet the appointed paddle-in time. No fire had to be made for breakfast, but we were dangerously low on fuel, and the portable stove went out once. It was rather convenient that we didn't have to sterilize the dishes that time (since we were about to head home), and effective delegation got the bags packed and canoes in the water just in time. Meeting up with the other two on-trail groups at the appointed bend in the lake, we sang the required song as we paddled ashore. The work did not end there - we cleaned the canoes and hauled them back to on-shore storage, and went to the main building to clean the other gear.
Much brushing was required on the tents, which seemed to continuously fill themselves with sand as if by magic. The Duluth packs and the plastic liners inside them were washed, hung out to dry, and then brushed. The Dutch oven in which we had baked the bread over a fire proved Herculean to clean; the soot on it required many cycles of washing and scrubbing with steel wool. We did get all the cleaning done in a total of about two hours, and were permitted to go shower. (Yay!)
After that and lunch at the dining hall, it was time for the ropes courses. My group first went to the giant swing, which is a bar onto which two people are hooked, hung on a line pulled up along to a telephone pole by a row of people, at the top of which a release rope can be pulled that will send it swinging the other way at exceptional velocity. Now, heights are stressful for me, but I went on that device last year, and I decided to do it again this time, joined by my canoeing partner. It was scary going up, but the swinging part was great. The next element was a catwalk, for which I only served on the belay team, both for the sake of time and because I had had enough height-induced terror for the day. My group ended with an element of the low ropes course: a setup that challenged us to get everybody across a short divide from one platform to another via a swinging rope. We never succeeded - two people could never quite get their legs up enough - but we had a lot of fun, and I learned that I can successfully swing on a rope.
In the evening after dinner, we did a reflection activity in which we found components of nature that symbolize our experience. That was brief and relaxing, and it gave us a break before we finished cleaning that Dutch oven. When that was sufficiently polished, we were permitted to join the other groups around the campfire. There, s'mores were had, and I joined the mathematics teacher, a guitar-playing student, and a dean in entertaining the other campers with music from a book of old songs. Good times were had by all.
Saturday morning after breakfast, detail cleaning was done on the main building and in the cabins. With everyone available to help, we finished in good time, and sat with all the counselors for a final time of reflection. At 10 AM, we got on the bus, and I went into a low-power state for the whole ride back to school. I've never been so happy to see home.
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