Dead Programmer's Cafe

Tag: Blinkenlights

  • Ground Zero After Osama

    I work at Word Trade Center 7, so on the day after Osama got iced here’s what I saw.

    There were more media trucks than I’ve ever seen before.

    ground zero media circus after osama

    Some tv journalists broke apart from the pack and cornered some construction worker

    ground zero media circus after osama

    Some small entrepreneurship has taken place

    ground zero media circus after osama

    “Talent” (a jargon term for talking heads and other on-camera personnel) was striking poses and emoting all over the place

    ground zero media circus after osama

    Cops were reluctantly serving as tour guides

    ground zero media circus after osama

    Construction workers were having lunch

    ground zero media circus after osama

    Some more small business ventures

    ground zero media circus after osama

    And some more “talent”
    ground zero media circus after osama

    My favorite part was a small collection of support personnel sitting in trucks with open doors, surrounded by blinkenlights, going around their business

    ground zero media circus after osama

    ground zero media circus after osama

    ground zero media circus after osama

    ground zero media circus after osama

    Nom nom nom

    ground zero media circus after osama

  • My Money and My Sanity Went To Miskatonic University

    Visited good old Miskatonic U (also known as Brooklyn College) today. I needed to beg for a stupid requirement waiver. I hate organized education.

    Some professor at the CS department threw out a bunch of old computer books from the departmental library. I picked up some, among them “System/360-370 Assembler Language (DOS)” by Kevin McQuillen. Among other coolness, every chapter in the book was illuminated by a photograph of a programmer or a group of programmers.

    See, in 1978 programmers always looked cool.

    Even just repairing perforated tape, Tom Jennings’ favorite medium.

    Or sitting at a terminal and not even looking at the blinkenlights.

  • Martha Stewart Eat Your Heart Out

    I am a looser. I spent half a day today cleaning out “science experiments” from my fridge, washing the shelves and organizing its contents. In other words – “portrait of the hacker at home” (click the link, don’t be lazy) or Cowboy Bebop Session 11 (my favorite episode).

    My fridge is pretty cool. It even looks like a mainframe or a supercomputer.

    I am going to add blinkenlights some day.

    Anyway, here is a tip for you. Supermarkets keep vegetables fresh longer by using this special lining material (pvc-coated filter). It allows better circulation of air or something. Supposedly it can prolong the life of fruit and vegetables by 50%. I bought mine from Amana for $8, but it can be had cheaper. The veggies do live longer it seems.