The iPhone continues to rock muh sox. The fact that no pressure is needed for this keypad is a huge ergonomic benefit that, with all the talk of "text thumb", I'm surprised we haven't heard more of. The autocorrect on this thing is genius.

I got to meet a guy today I only know online from coh, which was cool.

I have seriously had my main two book ideas percolating, and I think real writing is near. I need to do some physics research for one. When I get home I will likely be doing some consulting work again. Seems like I will be quite busy, but opportunity doesn't let you pick your schedule.

A guy from work has been pushing me to take swim lessons and swim on a regular schedule, and I think I'll jump on it... I am by no means in the worst shape, but I'd like to get back to a fully fit weight and tone, and I'm feeling empowered lately. I will be busy... Have to cut some game time. Oh well.

I r a blogger!!

Check it

Note to producers/writers, and this one is free: Story arcs have to end. I don't know if Wil watched Alias, but it drove me nuts with this. Smallville drives me nuts. But Heroes is different.

Abraham Lincoln

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165539

http://www.knitemare.org/cats/

This is true, of course. But it's a lot more pandemic than they point out.

And I actually think we can do it. I don't think immortality would wreck the world. Plenty of deaths come from accidents, or diseases we can't yet cure. General suspension of aging won't literally let us all live forever.

First objection: overpopulation. I say wrong: the age in civilized countries for childbearing is on the rise. Assuming fertility stays (no reason it shouldn't) with youth, people will stop having children young. Normally age for first child will range from 40-200, or less. General rate of childbearing will drop drastically. After all, you don't need kids to carry on a legacy if you can carry it on yourself.

Immortality aside, it's been a hell of a year. Not really in a good way, but things are on the mend, in most ways. Work is good. Nice people, promising company, good pay, good general attitude (read: do not work employees to death).

There are still a lot of things I miss, or things I want to improve... but the more things get worked out, the more attention that can be paid to the things that remain.

Here's to you, world! At my most optimistic, I have the brightest vision for the future, and I love the world.

I'm still a libertarian. And it's sort of painful. You know, it's not that I'm not productive. I have an excellent career. I do well. But I'm painfully aware of what I'm not doing. I see people who have succeeded greatly - say, Mark Cuban, who proves very often that his biggest asset is drive. That's what I'm not doing.

I painted this illustration for my friend, as we chatted over Teamspeak, both having a drink, while I played City of Heroes and blew a nice Saturday night: Let's say you make $1000 a week. You spend $900 on lifestyle. You put $100 toward retirement or whatnot. Imagine if you worked 50% harder. 50% overtime. Whatever. You don't just make 50% more... because the money you spend on lifestyle is lost to you. You're really 'creating' a net $100 in the scenario... so if you suddenly make 50% more, you now are really "making' 600% more. That is, your creation, net your destruction/consumption, is 600% higher, despite only 50% more effort.

The caveat is that the extra 50% of effort is not 50% harder. Working 60 hours a week is not 50% harder than 40/week. It's more like 200% harder or something. And I've worked 90+ hour weeks. I remember my boss waking me up from under my desk, asking me why I was still in.

What would I be if I worked 16 hour days? 90 hour weeks? I was doing well as a consultant, working for myself. I claimed I couldn't do my hourly stuff AND develop my core product, but that's a lie - I just needed to up my effort level. I wonder if 5 or 10 years down the road, I'll curse myself for not doing it. No one held me back but me. Nothing stopped me but me. Not that I'm angry about it. Or even really self-damning. That is economics, that is choice. The chance at millions - and I really felt like I had it - was not worth, in terms of expected value - the time with family, the time to live, to enjoy my life and my leisure. But the thing about leisure - as with consumption - is that if hard times befall, it is easy to regret. And I really feel like I took something away from the world. How many people would I have employed? How much money would my software have saved people? I don't know. I'm good at what I do though, and I believe that my choices matter.

So this is my reason why - if the pod people of The Matrix subconsciously were aware of their predicament - that they would nontheless "choose" to remain consciously unaware.

On one, I completed in the SB with A6o, flop AKQ. I led for 225 (1/4 my stack), and someone pushed. I should have folded, and that was the most obvious screwup, I think. That board is scaryville. He had JT. Shafted. (No runner, runner full houses for me like the AQ guy)

On another, I called a fairly large raise with AKo. Flop AK5, 2 clubs. (I have no clubs). Pot is 575 and I lead 225. That's a big mistake, I think in retrospect. He calls. Turn 4c. I am nervous. I did not stop to think enough, and that was a mistake. I started this hand with 1525, and this was the only player who had me covered, with 2255. On the turn, I bet 425 and he minraises. Second mistake, because I probably should have mucked right there. But... top 2 pair... and I know he doesn't have 23/44/55. AA and KK are possible but only remotely so. After all, I have an A, and K and they're both out. That'd mean all 4 got out, and that's tough to believe. But why the minraise? I called pf and led the flop. But it's so hard to put someone on the nut hand - I know many players will raise there with AJ/AT/Ax, especially with the naked Ac. Damnit. So I moved in, he called. AcQc. The nuts. No A or K on the river for me.

Sigh. The last hand was a weird bubble hand, not too interesting. I completed in the SB after a limper with K7o and a K came. The rest after that was probably foreordained, but it pisses me off because I was the 3rd stack, and there was one short stack hanging on playing for 3rd. And he got it.

Then some guy completes. I check with 95o. Flop: Q9x. I check, he pushes. I took that to be a bluff and a half, and called. Nope, he has the Q. Turn: 5. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Very next hand I get AQ, and he pushes pf. I call, he has 86s. No one hits and I win with A-high, 1st place. Which is good. I try to be mentally on guard against tilt, but I'm not sure it doesn't sometimes affect my play. It's not like I'm furiously going "push! push!", it's more like tilting causes me to get into FPS (fancy play syndrome). Now that I've identified that tendency, it must be ELIMINATED. Anyhow, yay for first and pulling me out from being nearly 0-4 2x tonight. (Although with the 2nd set, the AA and 99 hands were so insanely unlucky and -EV, it wouldn't have been nearly as bad as the first set, where I had no such excuse)

Later, I was a recipient of the tilt-inducing riggedness. I complete in the SB with T5 after 4 limpers. Flop J55. I checkraise and get put all in, and call. He has A5, but I turned a T. WTF. I mean, sure, I was due for some karmic payback, but wtf.