Zoyx

NES Tetris

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:07:46 -0600

Apparently this is the fastest to 999,999 on NES Tetris. My eyes were burning just watching this.

Death Star Universe

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:37:50 -0600

Someone ran the numbers, and it would cost 852 quadrillion US dollars to build the Empires Death Star. More numbers from the smarty dudes.

Actually the reason I am writing about this story is that I needed an excuse to post this song (below) by Hanzel und Gretyl. I like to have a tie-in whenever possible.

Kaiser Horse

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:10:08 -0600

“It is time to meet your maker, My Magic Unicorn”, exclaimed the Kaiser Horse with an exaggerated German accent, “but before I extinguish your life force with magnificent villianary, I have one last query to ask you… Why the long face?”

My Magic Unicorn began to laugh with so much joy at this funny question, that she emitted great glee waves from her horn. The glee waves swept away all hate and anger from the Kaiser Horse.

“I can not carry out this extermination, for I have not an evil pore within my being. I shall set you free My Magic Unicorn, so you may spread your happiness throughout the land”, said the Kaiser Horse, with a much tempered German accent.

The Kaiser Horse and My Magic Unicorn both skip off into a rainbow sunset, where My Magic Unicorn gores Kaiser Horse in the left lung, leaving him to die.

WRF Weather Modellin' Cluster

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:21:27 -0600

Another computer, another node added to my Basement Super Computer Cluster. I am up to 3 computers in my weather model cluster. Added another 6 core Phenom II to the mess. This computer seems to be unstable, so I should be careful not to overhype this. Your cluster is only as good as your weakest computer. It has been up for 24 hours straight now, so hopes are higher.

What these 6 additional cores have afforded me is to convert my nearly continental US covering model run from 25 km to 20 km grid spacing. I then expanded my 4 km grid spaced “meso” run from covering just southern Minnesota, to nearly the 5 state area.

Took the opportunity to update the web page. The old page is still up and running, so feel free to use it. Some of you like legacy HTML with 15 year old javascript … I fully understand.

The new pages use OpenLayers and some HTML5/CSS3/Javascript to work their magic. Still not that pretty, but I am an engineer not a designer, so stop complaining. The course grained run that covers the CONUS can be found here. The finer resolution meso run can be found here. I tried to make these pages work with mobile devices. I succeeded somewhat. They work OK with tablets, not so good with the smaller screens. OpenLayers added pinch and touch natively to their libraries, so that is kind of slick.

The other thing I tinkered with is the Turbulence maps. Some comrades over at Chicago are doing a study and they shipped over some preliminary results. They are comparing speed shear with pilot reported clear air turbulence. The results were quite promising, so I am going to see if I can use it operationally. The Turb 500 mb through the Turb 200 mb charts on the CONUS model run now show speed shear between 50 mb layers. These maps still highlight in thick red contours where the WRF thinks mod-sev Turb will be… so we have that for comparison. As far as the shading… blue = 25-35 kts shear (lgt-mod turb) | yellow = 35-50 kts shear (mod turb) | red = >50 kt shear (sev turb). It will be interesting to see how this verifies.

GIRLS ARE PRETTY: The Ice Couple Day!

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:24:21 -0600

GIRLS ARE PRETTY: The Ice Couple Day!:

A little late for Valentine’s Day…

girlsareprettyforever:

They finally unfroze you and you came to before she did.

“You’ve inspired so many with your love,” the scientist says. “Do you remember what your last words to each other were? Were they ‘I love you?’”

Say, “What’s going on? Where am I? What year is it?”

They’ll tell you the year, the location…

Cerave - eczema super cure

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:13:59 -0600

I paid a visit to my 3rd Dermatologist concerning the eczema on my hands and feet. Nothing new. No miracle cure. Same advice that the previous two gave me. He did give me a fresh list of cremes and ointments to plaster on my dry and cracked skin.

The first lotion I am going to try is Cerave. On the list that the doctor gave me, this is the one he starred and underlined… well OK then. The main takeaway I got from this doctor was that whatever cream, lotion, ointment, suave I choose - it should not only moisturize, but set up some sort of barrier to prevent your natural moisture from escaping. This is what Careve does, in theory. So a mini-tub of Careve is on the way to my place from the great Amazon warehouse in the sky, and should be at my house by mid-week.

According to Amazon reviews, it is that miracle cure… an example:

Cerave is probably the single most effective treatment I have found for reducing inflammation and strengthening the skin barrier. (And compared to other treatments I have had, what a bargain! ) I am not aware of any side effects. Skin improvement began the first week I used it. My skin is softer and more supple, ichthyosis and scaling are way down, redness has abated considerably (though not entirely) , and the horrible itching is a minor distraction now. I have had fewer outbreaks of staph infections, and - most remarkable - I look healthier and am comfortable most of the time. In addition I am more focused mentally, more rested, and less prone to depression .

These results are amazing given my history. I do need to use CeraVe at least twice daily to maintain its benefits, which seem to include immune system strengthening. And there is one frustrating area not responding very well to this treatment - my face ( not the area I would choose if I had to have one problem area). Overall though, with the itching way down, I am more relaxed and happier than I have been in years. I hope others with my condition will find this cream as as helpful.

So there you go… Careve will not only disappear-ify my skin sloughing, but will rid me of those nagging deep black depressions. A miracle indeed.

Bjork would make an awesome Pippy Longstocking.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:14:31 -0600

Bjork would make an awesome Pippy Longstocking.

Dance Marathon Day!

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:16:11 -0600

girlsareprettyforever:

It’s hour 20 in your dance marathon and it’s between you two and this other couple. You’re pretty sure you’re going to win because you smoked meth earlier, so that should keep you awake long enough to win the marathon. Whoops, you just fell down and died so you lost. This was for charity.

Happy Dance Marathon Day!

Living room speakers

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:59:07 -0600

I have a sound bar that I hide under the living sofa. Perfect for concealing for showing the house. One problem, it is near my feet. Recently I managed to kick one of the speakers. So I hear a rip whenever I play something with a heavy bass. I will open it up and see if I can fix it, but I think I will use this as an excuse to get a new speaker system. Something that sounds better than these, but still easily concealable. No ideas right now, just thinking out loud.

Tonight's Music

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:26:47 -0600

Listening to Led Zeppelin’s, “In through the out door”. First time listening all the way through this in a couple decades… at least. I affectionately call this their, “Disco Album”.

I need to watch my snark

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:31:51 -0600

When I added some add-ons to the zoyx.com blog, I made a somewhat snarky comment about OneAll. I won’t repeat it here, read the entry. The guy who runs this fine service must of had his google alerts working, because he left a comment for me on Tumblr.

No, we are not idiots cloning Hitlers - just geeks trying to build something useful ;) Thank you for using our plugin! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Claude, founder of oneall. Back to cloning … uhm programming now ;)

It’s all in good fun, and I am glad he took my post like that. He scored positive points with me. If he had been a member of the literal internet, might not have been as fun of a comment.

Video Card

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:11:11 -0600

The Radeon 7770 HD video card is out. Good news, it would be a nice upgrade from my 5770 HD. It would be faster and run cooler. Bad news, it comes with an early adopter tax. You can get a 6850 HD for $20 cheaper, and a 6850 would be a smidge faster than a 7770. So I will wait. The 7800 series cards will be released within a month… that should trigger a price reduction in the 7770.

I must admit, the main reason I want a 7770 is the model number. Just look at all those sevens.

Hi

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:00:39 -0600

I haven’t met either one of these folks, just a fan of their clever tweets. Nothing clever here, just happy hellos. Cheers. Drink.

Enough of this Cold

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:43:51 -0600

It’s between me and you viruses. You’ve been in my body and brain for long enough. I am going to sit outside in this snow in just my gym clothes and wait you out. If I die, you die. So if I were you, I would just mellow out on attacking me. You’ve had your fun, time to go away.

Not in a good mood today

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:04:06 -0600

Press release from the NWSEO below. My career goal is to become an ITO. This would pretty much kill all ambition I have. A demoralizing day.

President Obama’s 2013 Budget Plan Cuts Crucial Positions at Weather Forecast Offices, Jeopardizing the Lifesaving Mission of the National Weather Service

(February 13, 2012) Less than nine months after commenting that Republican-led budget cuts “might compromise the National Weather Service,” the President’s 2013 budget proposal calls for damaging cuts to the NWS, including cuts to positions critical to emergency responses at weather forecast offices (WFO).

The cuts would decrease the number of information technology officers at weather forecast offices across the nation. Currently, each WFO is staffed with one local programmer/IT specialist (ITO) who is critical to NWS operations. During an emergency response, ITOs are crucial to the WFO’s local ability to innovate immediate lifesaving products and services. Because ITOs are meteorologists with information technology skills, they are frequently used to cover shifts and assist WFOs during severe weather, in addition to their regular duties. Most WFOs are only fair weather staffed, meaning there are not enough meteorologists to cover shifts during severe weather outbreaks. The NWS service assessments on the historic 2011 tornados and the 2010 Nashville flood event commended offices for having ITOs on station during the event to help with weather and IT issues.

“The ITO position is crucial to the lifesaving work of weather forecast offices,” said NWSEO President Dan Sobien. “These are the guys who ensure our technology is working and our forecasts are accurate. Without an ITO on site, responses will be slower and lives will be lost during extreme weather events. This is an alarming move backwards when it comes to protecting the public.”

Additional 2013 budget cuts propose eliminating research on improving hurricane intensity forecasts and the air quality forecasts.
“Seriously, with all of the money government wastes, are we going to cut the people who are integral to the tornado warning process?” asked Sobien. “I think if the federal government can afford $39 million for the Blue Angels and $325 million for marching bands, it can afford $15 million to provide its citizens warnings of severe weather. It may not be this year or next, but if these cuts go through, the nation will see another Katrina-like event, and it could have been entirely preventable.”

The President’s FY 2013 budget calls for reduction of $39 million in funding for NWS operations.

Dream from Last Night

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:01:08 -0600

I was getting ready to leave, I was parked out on the street, when Lou Ann walked back out and said, “Could you give him a ride”. “Him” was a short older gentleman, with thinning white hair. I said sure, then proceeded to clear off the junk that had accumulated on the passenger seat of my wagon, and tossed it in the back. He hopped in and we were off.

Drove down the street, after a few blocks, forced to turn as the street reached the river… we turn right. Long residential street in the city. After a couple blocks, I try and initiate some small talk, “How long have you known Lou Ann?”

He answers, “Since 2007”.

“Huh, I thought you knew her longer than me. I have known her since 2004… we dated for a year back then.”

He mumbled something back to me, as I continued driving. I pull into the Home Depot lot, park, and we start walking in. “I hope you don’t mind stopping here, I always stop here when driving this way”.

“I don’t mind”, he said, “I need a security system anyway.”

We walk in, he immediately walks up to a circular table with head phones. It is a music kiosk for sampling music. He puts on head phones and starts to listen.

I say, “It looks like I have to go, this dream is about to end, hope you don’t mind”. He acknowledges and waves at me, then goes back to listening. Everything melts away as I awake.

That was a pretty boring dream, but I had the urge to type it up anyway.

I am in the middle of a cold, and dreams have been very vivid this past weekend. The weirdest dream was from 3 days ago. I was a female model, and my job was to walk into an outdoor football stadium holding a Budweiser bottle, while a spotlight shown on me and the JumboTron had a close up of me hoisting the beer. After that was done, I went down near the sideline and watched the game. It was the 1972 battle between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angelos Rams. It was a great game, the Vikings won 45-41. I got Bill Brown’s autograph.

Weather Bureau

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:42:30 -0600

Finished viewing “A Serious Man”. I will be giving this movie my lowest ranking, as far as Coen Brothers films are concerned. They routinely leave some unanswered questions at the end of a movie, but you feel they answered enough. But there were no answered questions at the end of this movie. Just a movie with idiots doing idiotic things making things worse… right to the bitter end.

But the number one beef? This movie takes place in 1967. The teacher said that the Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning.

{Pause for effect}

It’s United States Weather Bureau, you fucktards! Do some research!

They call THIS progress… where’s the PUMP! You MUST...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:50:12 -0600

They call THIS progress… where’s the PUMP! You MUST pump your chili.

Minnesota Muskies

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:35:35 -0600

Back in 1967-68, Minnesota had an ABA franchise, the Muskies. They played really well, but still didn’t draw crowds. So they only lasted the one season. More history is on the TimberWolves site.

The TimberWolves are doing something I hope the Vikings pick up on - wearing Muskies throwback uniforms 6 times this season. If we can get the Vikings to become the Duluth Eskimos for one week a year, that would make my day. Plus some extra cash in merchandising for the Vikings.

One disappointment, no Red/White/Blue basketball. I begged my parents for a Red/White/Blue basketball when I was a kid. They first got me a cheap Voit Red/White/Blue basketball, that quickly faded. It became, essentially, a white basketball by the end of the summer. Finally in my mid-teens a got a real Red/White/Blue basketball. So cool. The NBA needs to bring that back on occasion.

Math as Plot Device

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:06:22 -0600

Saw the movie “Lost Highway” for the second time last night. This is the Möbius strip movie by David Lynch. If you take the end of the film, and suture it to the start of the film, you get the infinite highway that is this movie. During the movie, you get to visit both sides of the strip that you just taped together. A really clever concept.

There are other things going on in this movie, but I am just not deep enough to analyze them. There are movie nerds out there that are more than happy to tackle this though. Take this smart fellow, for example.

I tried to think of another movie that used a math premise to frame a movie plot. The first one to pop into my mind was “Inception”. The dreams within dreams narrative is kind of cool. But with that movie, you kept zooming in on the plot. Like a fractal, each zoom level was just as detailed as the level above it. You can zoom in forever on a fractal, and it will never lose detail, but whole new worlds will open up.

Kind of like “Horton Hears a Who!”.