Monthly Archives: December 2007

Fireworks? You mean Embrace’s ‘best of’ album?

By terje | Published: December 31, 2007
I’ve noticed a bit of a ruckus about this new ban on the “stick rocket” kind of fireworks, but I’ve been unable to care much. I mean, I kinda grew bored with loud bangs and flashy lights when I was 10. Or possibly before. And also, if I want to hear loud bangs and see flashy lights, [...]
Posted in Hodge-podge rambling, Opinions, meh. | Leave a comment

Literacy among Norwegians in the 18th century

By terje | Published: December 31, 2007
Today I learned that Norwegian peasants and farmers in the 18th century read a lot more than we have previously thought. The idea of “The Reading Peasant” was long considered to be a National Romantic myth, meant to build up under another myth — that of Norwegians being free, despite being a Danish colony and [...]
Posted in History, What I Learned Today | Leave a comment

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

By terje | Published: December 31, 2007
1968. 168 pages, including an afterword by Jon Bing, translator and professor of information law. In the not too distant future humans have made Earth almost inhabitable by nuclear war. Colonies have been established on Mars and elsewhere, and most of mankind has moved there. Many still remain, though. Some because they don’t want to go, some [...]
Posted in A Praise Chorus, Art, Awe, Goosebumps!, Literature, Recommendations, Review, Speculative fiction | Leave a comment

Everyone needs a hobby

By terje | Published: December 24, 2007
“Some people play tennis. I erode the human soul.” — Tycho, Penny Arcade.
Posted in Quote of the day, Webcomics | Leave a comment

This does not bode well…

By terje | Published: December 24, 2007
I was in Molde yesterday, to have dinner with a buddy of mine from high school, and somehow at least two thirds of the four hours we spent together were spent talking about World of Warcraft, which said buddy, like so many others, had been pretty much addicted by the last couple of years. Personally, [...]
Posted in Ambiguity, Computer games, Conflicting emotions, Discomfort, Forums, Hodge-podge rambling, Hope, Irony, My microcosmos, Oh noes!, Pessimism, Procrastination, Rant, Regret, Scepticism, Speculations, Strategy/Plans, Stress, This Blog, Why do I think anyone cares?, Wistfulness | Leave a comment

Curses! Or constructing next term’s schedule

By terje | Published: December 21, 2007
I checked my course registration page at NTNU (ooh!) about an hour ago, and much to my delight I discovered that I’ve been registered for not two but three courses this spring, and that these three combined fill my required term quota of 30 study points. English Linguistics gives me 7,5 points if I pass it; [...]
Posted in Annoyance, Boredom, Coincidents, Conflicting emotions, Disappointment, Discomfort, Education, English, History, Hodge-podge rambling, Hope, Language, Laziness, Links, Lists, Literature, Megalomania, Misery, My microcosmos, Norse stuff, Norway, Oh noes!, Panic, Paranoia, Pessimism, Pettiness, Procrastination, Rant, Regret, Strategy/Plans, Whoa, Why do I think anyone cares?, Wistfulness, Work, meh. | Leave a comment

I fucking hate the Frankfurt School

By terje | Published: December 19, 2007
“The aim of jazz is the mechanical reproduction of a regressive moment, a castration symbolism. ‘Give up your masculinity, let yourself be castrated,’ the eunuchlike sound of the jazz band both mocks and proclaims, ‘and you will be rewarded, accepted into a fraternity which shares the mystery of impotence with you, a mystery revealed at [...]
Posted in Annoyance, Awe, Discomfort, Language, Misery, Music, Oh noes!, Pain, Quote of the day | Leave a comment

My knowledge of basic household appliances…

By terje | Published: December 19, 2007
… is really sorry. I already knew this, but I got a reminder today, when I learned from my mother that washing machines (i.e. the kind that do laundry, not the dishes variety) don’t use pre-heated water from the, ehem, water heater, but actually heat cold water from scratch.
Posted in What I Learned Today | Leave a comment

New… thingy, let’s call it a “quasi-daily”, or whatever.

By terje | Published: December 19, 2007
For the past two or three years, I’ve been considering to make a thread at one of the forums I hang at, a thread called “What I learned today”. In case some of you think that’s a cool acronym or something, let me assure you it’s not. I’d simply be a thread where people could [...]
Posted in Education, Forums, My microcosmos, Optimism, Procrastination, Strategy/Plans, This Blog, What I Learned Today | Leave a comment

Optimism

By terje | Published: December 16, 2007
“All would be well; unthinkable otherwise! Problems ignored were problems defeated! Here was the sensible philosophy; a man would go mad trying to repair each deficiency of the Universe!” — King Audry of Dahaut, Jack Vance’s Madouc, page 398.
Posted in Literature, Optimism, Quote of the day, Speculative fiction, Wistfulness | Leave a comment