GeneralNazort's Xanga

Largest known prime number

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:09:10 GMT

So yesterday the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search found the largest known prime number: 2^43,112,609-1. Computers all around the world were donating their spare cpu cycles, trying to find prime numbers, and they finally found this. The number is so large that if it were written out, it would take up 30 miles. I have no idea why this matters, but it's still kinda cool

Check out the article here.

Night

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:31:33 GMT

I just finished one of the most amazing books I've ever read in my entire life. Night, by Elie Wiesel. It's the true story of a survivor of the Holocaust.

    "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
    Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
    Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never."

    "I was thinking of this when I heard the sound of a violin. The sound of a violin, in this dark shed, where the dead were heaped on the living. What madman could be playing the violin here, at the brink of his own grave? Or was it really an hallucination?
    It must have been Juliek.
    He played a fragment from Beethoven's concerto. I had never heard sounds so pure. In such a silence.
    How had he managed to free himself? To draw his body from under mine without my being aware of it?
    It was pitch dark. I could hear only the violin, and it was as though Juliek's soul were the bow. He was playing his life. The whole of his life was gliding on the strings – his lost hopes, his charred past, his extinguished future. He played as he would never play again.
    I shall never forget Juliek. How could I forget that concert, given to an audience of dying and dead men! To this day, whenever I hear Beethoven played my eyes close and out of the dark rises the sad, pale face of my Polish friend, as he said farewell on his violin to an audience of dying men.
    I do not know for how long he played. I was overcome by sleep. When I awoke, in the daylight, I could see Juliek, opposite me, slumped over, dead. Near him lay his violin, smashed, trampled, a strange overwhelming little corpse."

Diploma

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:24:26 GMT

So my diploma came in the mail the other day, right? So I open it up and it's all pretty and happy and you can't really read Habecker's signature. But then I notice that it doesn't say what I majored in! All it says is that I got a Bachelor of Science. A BS, ok, but in WHAT?? Ummmmmm k? So I call up Taylor and talk to a lady in the registrar's office and ask her what's the deal. And she said that is how it is supposed to be. She didn't know why, just that it was "University policy." Great. I guess I'll go frame my MYSTERY DIPLOMA and hang it on my wall for people to wonder at.

I suppose I should update

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:07:33 GMT

Well, I graduated. Yay! I actually pulled off a good grade in Computer Vision, despite not working on any of the assignments until a couple weeks before the semester ended Thank you Dr. Toll for not taking off too much for being late, and rounding up when I was like .03% away from an A minus! School is OVER AND DONE WITH. It was a good time, but I'm ready to move on.

So I've been basically being as lazy as possible since then. Our family visited my cousin and her six kids (three of whom are triplets) in Washington State, and we had a blast. They are such neat kids, very very talented yet humble and eager to help. When we got back I mostly read lots of books, played lots of computer games, and shopped for a car. I finally got one, a 2006 Toyota Corolla, so that pressure is off. Now I've been figuring out all the annoying insurance stuff.

My fam is going to California on Tuesday for a bit of vacation and to see another cousin get married, and then I must be off to Florida to start my job at Sentry Data Systems. I have lots of packing and organizing to do before then. I have so many papers! But, I also read a good book - Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. I would recommend it - it really made me think about the importance of not cutting out the relational aspect of Christianity.

Also, I have discovered Dinosaur Comics, many of which I find to be quite hilarious and just my kind of humor.

Last times and never agains

Sun, 04 May 2008 06:23:21 GMT

Earlier tonight I performed on the Taylor stage for the last time. Never again will I be able to stand in front of an audience on that stage, or "play" with the theater family. It's hard to describe how I feel now, but the word "nostalgic" is fairly good. Before we warm up we share some adjectives to describe how we are feeling. I picked "excited" and "wistful." I think those capture the two main feelings I am experiencing quite well. During circle, Tracy pointed out the seniors, Josh and I. We each said a little something, and Josh prayed. It was a good time. I felt sad and happy at the same time. Josh got a little gift for everyone, some roses. It was very thoughtful. We had a great last performance, with lots of energy and a wonderful audience. It was a good way to finish. Afterwards during bows we specially pointed out Josh and applauded him, to honor his four years at Taylor theater and his involvement in nearly every play.

This whole year has been one of last times and never agains. The last ice cream social, the last J-term, the last pick-a-date, the last Taylathon. Never again will I play assassins or stick 'em. Never again will I play in the Taylor Orchestra. Never again will I have class with Dr. Brandle and learn how to yodel, or hear Random Brad talk about his latest adventure. The list goes on and on. I think this whole year has been a process of me saying goodbye to Taylor and to the people here.

I will miss Taylor a ton. Yet, it's also time to move on, to the next stage in the adventure of life. What will come, and what will it be like? Will it be better? I know it will be different. But I also know I will look back and remember my time at Taylor forever.

The Odd Couple

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:49:01 GMT

So The Odd Couple opened this weekend - it went pretty well! Audience attendance was fairly low, but those who did come were really responsive and laughed a lot

She Walks in Beauty

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:18:09 GMT

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Pray for your computer

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 03:28:52 GMT

My prof just told us a story in class about praying for hardware!! Random Brad answered a question in class jokingly by saying, "Pray." But Dr. Brandle took it literally and talked about when his hard drive stopped working at a rather inconvenient time. He had his data backed up, but not a lot of time to mess around with buying and installing a new hard drive. So, he lay his hands on the computer [adding that the laying on of hands is optional, lol] and prayed, "God, you don't have to do this, but it would be really nice if you would make the computer start working." He turned it on again and it worked! It kept on working for another two years, when he sold it to a friend who later reported that it was the best computer he'd ever had. Then, at the end of the class he told us how to yodel.

Inspired, I tried praying for my TV today. Its colors are messed up. It didn't work

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:44:45 GMT

I saw coming towards us a Ghost who carried something on his shoulder. Like all the Ghosts, he was unsubstantial, but they differed from one another as smokes differ. Some had been whitish; this one was dark and oily. What sat on his shoulder was a little red lizard, and it was twitching its tail like a whip and whispering things in his ear. As we caught sight of him he turned his head to the reptile with a snarl of impatience. "Shut up, I tell you!" he said. It wagged its tail and continued to whisper to him. He ceased snarling, and presently began to smile. Then be turned and started to limp westward, away from the mountains.

"Off so soon?" said a voice.

The speaker was more or less human in shape but larger than a man, and so bright that I could hardly look at him. His presence smote on my eyes and on my body too (for there was heat coming from him as well as light) like the morning sun at the beginning of a tyrannous summer day.

"Yes. I'm off," said the Ghost. "Thanks for all your hospitality. But it's no good, you see. I told this little chap," (here he indicated the lizard), "that he'd have to be quiet if he came--which he insisted on doing. Of course his stuff won't do here: I realise that. But he won't stop. I shall just have to go home."

'Would you like me to make him quiet?" said the flaming Spirit--an angel, as I now understood.

"Of course I would," said the Ghost.

"Then I will kill him," said the Angel, taking a step forward.

"Oh--ah--look out! You're burning me. Keep away," said the Ghost, retreating.

"Don't you want him killed?"

"You didn't say anything about killing him at first. I hardly meant to bother you with anything so drastic as that."

"It's the only way," said the Angel, whose burning hands were now very close to the lizard. "Shall I kill it?"

"Well, that's a further question. I'm quite open to consider it, but it's a new point, isn't it? I mean, for the moment I was only thinking about silencing it because up here--well, it's so damned embarrassing."

"May I kill it?"

"Well, there's time to discuss that later."

"There is no time. May I kill it?"

"Please, I never meant to be such a nuisance. Please--really--don't bother. Look! It's gone to sleep of its own accord. I'm sure it'll be all right now. Thanks ever so much."

"May I kill it?"

"Honestly, I don't think there's the slightest necessity for that. I'm sure I shall be able to keep it in order now. I think the gradual process would be far better than killing it."

"The gradual process is of no use at all."

"Don't you think so? Well, I'll think over what you've said very carefully. I honestly will. In fact I'd let you kill it now, but as a matter of fact I'm not feeling frightfully well to-day. It would be silly to do it now. I'd need to be in good health for the operation. Some other day, perhaps."

"There is no other day. All days are present now."

"Get back! You're burning me. How can I tell you to kill it? You'd kill me if you did."

"It is not so."

"Why, you're hurting me now."

"I never said it wouldn't hurt you. I said it wouldn't kill you."

"Oh, I know. You think I'm a coward. But it isn't that. Really it isn't. I say! Let me run back by tonight's bus and get an opinion from my own doctor. I'll come again the first moment I can."

"This moment contains all moments."

"Why are you torturing me? You are jeering at me. How can I let you tear me to pieces? If you wanted to help me, why didn't you kill the damned thing without asking me--before I knew? It would be all over by now if you had."

"I cannot kill it against your will. It is impossible. Have I your permission?"

The Angel's hands were almost closed on the Lizard, but not quite. Then the Lizard began chattering to the Ghost so loud that even I could hear what it was saying.

"Be careful," it said. "He can do what he says. He can kill me. One fatal word from you and he will! Then you'll be without me for ever and ever. It's not natural. How could you live? You'd be only a sort of ghost, not a real man as you are now. He doesn't understand. He's only a cold, bloodless abstract thing. It may be natural for him, but it isn't for us. Yes, yes. I know there are no real pleasures now, only dreams. But aren't they better than nothing? And I'll be so good. I admit I've sometimes gone too far in the past, but I promise I won't do it again. I'll give you nothing but really nice dreams--all sweet and fresh and almost innocent. You might say, quite innocent .... "

"Have I your permission?" said the Angel to the Ghost.

"I know it will kill me."

"It won't. But supposing it did?"

"You're right. It would be better to be dead than to live with this creature."

"Then I may?"

"Damn and blast you! Go on can't you? Get it over. Do what you like," bellowed the Ghost: but ended, whimpering, "God help me. God help me."

Next moment the Ghost gave a scream of agony such as I never heard on Earth. The Burning One closed his crimson grip on the reptile: twisted it, while it bit and writhed, and then flung it, broken backed, on the turf.

"Ow! That’s done for me," gasped the Ghost, reeling backwards.

For a moment I could make out nothing distinctly. Then I saw, between me and the nearest bush, unmistakably solid but growing every moment solider, the upper arm and the shoulder of a man. Then, brighter still and stronger, the legs and hands. The neck and golden head materialised while I watched, and if my attention had not wavered I should have seen the actual completing of a man--an immense man, naked, not much smaller than the Angel. What distracted me was the fact that at the same moment something seemed to be happening to the Lizard. At first I thought the operation had failed. So far from dying, the creature was still struggling and even growing bigger as it struggled. And as it grew it changed. Its hinder parts grew rounder. The tail, still flickering, became a tail of hair that flickered between huge and glossy buttocks. Suddenly I started back, rubbing my eyes. What stood before me was the greatest stallion I have ever seen, silvery white but with mane and tail of gold. It was smooth and shining, rippled with swells of flesh and muscle, whinneying and stamping with its hoofs. At each stamp the land shook and the trees dindled.

The new-made man turned and clapped the new horse’s neck. It nosed his bright body. Horse and master breathed each into the other’s nostrils. The man turned from it, flung himself at the feet of the Burning One, and embraced them. When he rose I thought his face shone with tears, but it may have been only the liquid love and brightness (one cannot distinguish them in that country) which flowed from him. I had not long to think about it. In joyous haste the young man leaped upon the horse’s back. Turning in his seat he waved a farewell, then nudged the stallion with his heels. They were off before I well knew what was happening. There was riding if you like! I came out as quickly as I could from among the bushes to follow them with my eyes; but already they were only like a shooting star far off on the green plain, and soon among the foothills of the mountains. Then, still like a star, I saw them winding up, scaling what seemed impossible steeps, and quicker every moment, till near the dim brow of the landscape, so high that I must strain my neck to see them, they vanished, bright themselves, into the rose-brightness of that everlasting morning.

Because

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:42:47 GMT

I just realized why the word "because" means what it means: Be-cause - the cause which makes something be. Cool!
Maybe everyone else has realized this for a long time, but I never have until just now. Every once in a while stuff like this hits me and I realize the obvious meanings of things. Like the word breakfast