Random Traffic Through Nick's Brain

Went through a bunch of old shtuff on my disk. Put some old code under SCC. Got my CVs and other stuff under SCC. Went through old mail, old jokes, and old things I’ve written. I used to be able to communicate apparently. Put ads on a lot of the pages on my site. Feel free to browse and click around. Added copyright notices to all our pictures.

Below is one of my favourite pieces of writing, since it deftly explains that it’s how you look at things that matters. I’ve been lugging the poem around in one format or another since before I was a teenager. I don’t know who wrote it, and for some reason, I don’t feel like googling it. It would ruin the mystique.

The Optimist

That deep red rose I see;
Its thorn I just ignore.
The scent that’s borne to me-
It’s nothing I deplore!

The scratches that I got-
Before I just complain
About the pain a lot,
I think of beauty’s gain.

The Pessimist

That deep red rose – I see its thorn.
I just ignore the scent that’s borne
to me, it’s nothing. I deplore
Those scratches that I got before.
I just complain about the pain.
A lot I think of beauty’s gain!

A combination of being sick, the blizzard, playing a lot of Neverwinter Nights, and waking up at 05:30 led me to think:

Shoveling the car out would be a lot easier if I actually had a Fireball spell.

Been sick as a dog lately. Haven’t been able to work or function. Some notes on that front:

Never been tired after 11 hours of sleep before.

Dina has also been sick. Both of us being miserably sick at the same time sucks. How the heck are we going to deal when we have kids? As one of my coworkers helpfully pointed out, if we’re both sick, there’s a good chance that the kids’ll be sick too. Great.

Another Mystery Hunt has come and gone. Our team did really well, even though I didn’t solve any puzzles on my own. Some particularly nice puzzles were Hall Of Mirrors

and Reflecting Pool.

Some things I learned from this year’s hunt:

• Sometimes the puzzle titles mean nothing. Other times they do. Do things like anagramming them for clues.
• The power cord setup needs to be done a bit better. People were constantly tripping over cords and turning off power bar switches.
• Remember Morse code.
• Remember that Braille is 2×3.
• Bring a roll of quarters, or two, for parking meters.
• If a puzzle requires something like a tape-measure, just go to Home Depot and buy it. It’ll be quicker and easier. Besides, you’ll eventually need one in Real Life™ anyway.
• Bring warm clothing to the hunt, even if the weather is supposed to be warm (for a Canuck, at least). Long periods outdoors can still be cold, and others may benefit from the clothing.
• Subscribe to Games. Join the National Puzzlers’ League and go to the cons. Do the New York Times crosswords. Go to Intercoastal Altercations.
• Bring your own paper notebook or binder so you can jot down all your ideas. When the Orange Meta was solved I, and others, noted that DIPLOMACY probably cued us to use the black buildings since there were embassies. By the time we got to solving the Orange Super Meta, I’d forgotten.
• If you need computer tools during the hunt, take your time to do it well. You’ll need the tools again.
• Get sleep on Saturday night.

Walking down Mass Ave the other day. A homeless man was rooting through his cup and throwing away the pennies.