Randomization

I watch a lot of science videos on YouTube and Nebula. One of the things that I think every science creator has done is struggle to explain sizes. Yes, the sun is big. It's hard to truly visualize that though. Yeah, it's as big has X many Earths, but how big is the Earth? Those are the easy ones, too. Try comprehending the size of a galaxy or universe. Or go the other way and imagine the size of an Atom! Now, I don't have an easy solution for this. Humans have always compared the size of things to the size of other things. I mean, going back to space, we have the "Astronomical Unit" which is the average distance from Sun to Earth. That helps in very few instances. Basically just when comparing stuff. Like, oh, Pluto really is that much further away from the sun! But that's all comparing stuff we mostly can't comprehend with other stuff we can't comprehend and just trying to get close. There are many things we compare to that most people still don't...

Recently my brother from the same mother, Pilot , had a post about moving away from American technology. That was the kick I needed. I had been thinking about installing Linux on my Mac mini for quite some time. Sure, some Americans probably work on it, but it's open source and worldwide so it doesn't count. After some research, I decided on Ubuntu, which I had used many, many years ago for a very short time span, and settled on the Kubuntu flavour. Next thing was to do the install. I fought for about seven hours over two days until I finally found my answer: They haven't figured out how to get Ubuntu onto the M4 chip yet. My computer is two years old, but that's the chip it has. They figure it'll be early to mid 2027. OK. That wouldn't have been nice to know before I attempted all the stuff that continuously just kept not working. I'm going to be patient with it and wait though. One funny/sad thing happened during it though. Kids, man. Make you feel old. I ...

I am writing this blog yesterday. Which is the day after Truth and Reconciliation day here in Canada. I'm working from home since my wife is staying at a hotel in Saskatoon for a couple nights for work and I wanted some time at home. The peace and quiet has given me lots of time to think about the connections and similarities between things that are nothing alike and have no connections whatsoever. For example, I've picked up the space sim No Man's Sky again. They are still putting out updates and the game is one of the best space sims out there (Enjoyability wise, not realism wise). This is a big change. When it was released it was one of the worst games. Period. It's a very different game now. The company that made it has constantly listened to the fan base and improved the game, added content and just been all around good guys. All without charging an extra cent. It's getting to the point where they've added so much that most regular players are going "I...

Space travel! Man would I love to do it. I recently listened to an audiobook that I borrowed from my local library call 'Of Monsters and Mainframes.' It follows a ship AI that travels from Earth to Alpha Centauri and on various different trips the humans on board get killed by Dracula, then a werewolf, and then a mummy attacks and then a bunch team up to kill Dracula. It's not the kind of book I read, but it is already one of my favorites. It doesn't take itself seriously, but isn't silly for sake of being silly. It's just realistic sci-fi with cryptids.  One of the features of traveling between the stars is that there isn't faster than light travel. While it's going very fast, it still takes a few years for a one way trip using your typical chemical based fuel that we all know and love. It just tastes better. This is the method of transport that current humans have, and as far as physics shows, could be our only method of travel forever. I love the time...

I've done it. I've signed up for one of the most powerful clubs on Earth. One that gives great power to all who use it. I've got me a library card! Well, I don't have it yet. I signed up online which basically means that you can see if you have anything checked out, but you can't check anything out until you go in to the library to pick up the card. Sigh. I did it for the Wheatland Regional Library. I'm not allowed in the Saskatoon one since I'm from dirty ol' Warman.  I haven't had a library card since I lived in Weyburn. And even then I gave mine to my eldest sister since she had lost hers, or had too many later fees or something. Listening to all these depressing podcasts about the Catholic Church murdering thousands of babies in Ireland was leaving me too depressed. With this card, I can borrow some audiobooks without having to pay Jeff Bezos. Also noticed they have a writing competition. One for kids and one for adults. I might pull a Homer Simp...

During my way to work in the morning, there is a section of highway with about a hundred or so lines across the one lane. I'm about 90% sure that it is a paint testing patch for the white and yellow lines we all love to see on the highway. Can we just take a second to appreciate road paint? I know they have to repaint every year, but if you were to use house paint, it would be weekly. Whenever I see a crosswalk that's been specially painted for something, it's usually mostly faded in a month or two. And line paint is going on a shitty, dirty surface. Sure, the cracks and crevices allow for a spot where the tires can't hit, but still. Just sun, wind, rain and rubber going across that surface all day. Put that shit on your house and you'll never have to paint it again. I wonder how the pigment fades on that stuff compared to a house paint though. It only has to really last for a year or so. House paint needs to last much longer. But the house paint isn't being dri...

I recently talked about George Carlin after watching him recently. Funny guy, not nearly as funny as I remember from the short clips I had always seen. I watch some comedians from time to time so it was inevitable that another of those guys popped up. This one is more recent than George Carlin and someone I remember being around when he was big: Jeff Foxworthy. We've all heard his main bit, If you *blank* then you might be a redneck. In fact, famously, Pilot and I used that bit as our speech for our sisters wedding. And they haven't divorced yet. That can only be due to the amazing speech we put out. I had never actually saw one of his routines though, just clips of that main bit. So, when one of his more recent shows popped up, and I was alone to prevent embarrassment of watching it, I clicked play. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't good. Definitely for that older generation, which he knows. He didn't do the redneck bit, but told a story from his life about stepping on ...