Cloverfield Paradox seems to deserve it's rotten tomato score. I am severely unimpressed.

Cloverfield Paradox seems to deserve it's rotten tomato score. I am severely unimpressed.

They are raising the cost of prime membership. Fine.

They are raising the cost of prime membership. Fine.

But, choose a goddamn prime number.

209.8

209.8

Tony Lower-Basch Go see a movie. My treat.
Dylan Ross Give some money to my favorite charity -- Give Directly.
Kimberley Lam I hope to read an article soonish.
Patty Kirsch No sodas for you.
And, finally, Dianne Harris gets to see Wakanda this weekend.

Good news:

Good news:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/us/maga-hat-new-york-bar-lawsuit-trnd/index.html

That is: you can be kicked out of polite company for wearing that shit.

The overwhelming sense of needing to finish this happened. Hooray!

The overwhelming sense of needing to finish this happened. Hooray!

I'm gonna go run a 5k

210.3 -- down another pound from yesterday.

210.3 -- down another pound from yesterday.

I didn't sleep well last night. Work stress. On the bright side, I have identified the source of my work stress: a particular coworker who ignores me, interrupts me, and acts as if I am beneath them. Overboss man (in Texas) suggests I confront said source, with boss lady (in Virginia)'s help.

We are so close now to being under 210.
Kimberley Lam, Tony Lower-Basch, Patty Kirsch, Dylan Ross, Dianne Harris: Get Ready.

Black Panther is still at our local theater. Perhaps I can take my lady love there this weekend.

On a side note: I recently bought belts. When I bought them, they fit at the tightest hole. They no longer fit -- time to find the leather punch.

So, I'm the Captain of a spaceship.

So, I'm the Captain of a spaceship.

Merchant vessel, hauling databytes through the aether. Occasionally we run from pirates and maybe do some mildly illegal work, but mostly I try to stay legit. Life is easier, so long as we stay in the black.

Got a whole slew of crew to keep a ship like this running, and I'm wondering how best to organize. See, I'm thinking about what the Americans learned back in the 21st in their Pac Fleet: shift work is real bad. Those 18 hour days, or that watch-on-watch-off shit? Runis you. That's how you run into other ships.

I'm thinking there's two axes that need to be managed: Type of work, and when you do your work. Everybody needs someone to look up to on both of those.

That is, if you're a hacker grunt on the midnight shift you need someone you can call at midnight if there's a problem. Same goes if you're in water reclamation. That should be someone on your own time-table, who goes and gets the right person to solve the problem.

Which means: three watches, each with a watch officer. Maybe:
0000 - 0800
0800 - 1600
1600 - 0000

Each of those watches will have enough people to do maintenance and keep the ship running, plus an Officer of the Watch. If there's a problem, call the watch officer. Then figure out together who to reach out to next, but the only person any crew needs to call up is their watch officer.

Plus, I figure it's best for the expert staff not to have watches per say, so we can be fresh. Maybe we -- that's me (Cap), Chief Mechanic, Main Reclamator, Steward, The Hacker, and an Aetherist, of course. We all take a shift like: 1200 - 2000.

The ole' noon to 8 PM shift. Our work is mostly prioritizing and doing backlog pruning, so the crew can focus on doing work. Whenever possible, I'll schedule the big events to happen during that shift.

I figure each of them can still be pretty technical -- less for me. I'll miss it -- oh? Yeah, I was a hacker. It's kind of how I got the ship.

I'm a little worried about the midnight to 8 am shift. It'll be important to schedule them some time with the experts, so the expertise rubs off. Maybe schedule a meal together, making sure the experts eat with everybody at least once a day.

Speaking of meals, maybe:
0600, 1200, 1800, 0000

There's always food ready, like any civilized place. We'll need a variety, but I don't want to serve anything still alive. I know that may make it hard to hire any skagons, but that's something I can live with. Got to have food available, if I want folks to stay in flow.

Not having food 24/7 would be like not having coffee -- downright inhumane. Or at least, foolish.

This isn't quite like any ship I've run, but I figure it'll work. If it does, we can keep scooping up data and selling it.

Our trip'll be about a week from port to port -- less if my aetherist can train some good helpers. Call it 7 days on, then the adventure begins -- maybe as much as another week to get as much from the local news feeds, entertainment stations -- yes, i mean porno -- and the local games. Load up those, and take them to where they are worth more. A good two weeks sprint, more or less.

It's when we're gathering up that data cargo that the Hacker's do their best work, so it'll be important not to work them too hard during travel. Huh, occurs to me Hacker and Aetherist run on opposite time tables -- I never thought about it that way. For the Aetherist, it's the travel that's the job, and for the hacker it's the time in port.

So, whatcha think? Is this a reasonable setup? Or, am I going to be floating home?

211.3 -- down 1.8 pounds from yesterday.

211.3 -- down 1.8 pounds from yesterday.

I even ate out for lunch, and had mac n cheese for dinner.

I understand Infinity War is out. With luck, I'll hit the goal before the weekend so Tony can go see it.

213.1 - down 1.6 pounds.

213.1 - down 1.6 pounds.

Under 210 is within my sights.

Yesterday was a weird food day:
-- Finished off the homemade pop tarts, so had one of these for breakfast.
-- Apple around 11
-- Soylent for lunch
-- At 4:30, I was famished. A woman in the office offered me some almonds.
-- Got home, we weren't super hungry. Had a small, relatively early dinner.
-- A couple of drinks.

That's not a lot of calories, yet I felt fine all day.

Is bad MLR any better than bad cubic equations?

214.7 -- as per usual up over the weekend.

214.7 -- as per usual up over the weekend.

Was sick this weekend. Still have the benadryl tireds this morning.

Let's see if we can win this week.

Less than 4 weeks until Nerdly.

Fines are stupid legal penalties.

Fines are stupid legal penalties.

They are, at best, bribes. At worst, legal means of destroying lives while keeping your hands clean.

If a crime is worth a fine, it's worthy of a different penalty.

Also, punishment is stupid anyway.

I am still very annoyed with James Comey.

I am still very annoyed with James Comey.

He was wrong -- twice -- and doesn't know it.

So, I've got a cold.

So, I've got a cold.

I've had it for a couple of days. I worked through it as much as I could last week, because we were in the middle of some crap -- someone quit, and we were transitioning -- nevermind, doesn't matter.

Point is: There's a tiny virus replicating inside me. I have a loss of energy and am blowing my nose all the time. I want to take benadryl, eat soup, and wait it out.

And I'll be fine in a few days. The common cold is merely an inconvenience.

Without endless potable water, ibuprophen, AC, and the ability to buy fruit juice on a whim ... this'd be a lot worse.

Without an immune system that has seen some shit, it might be life threatning.

You are dropped into 1,200 CE.

You are dropped into 1,200 CE.

They've got zero, and the windmill. Longswords and plate armor are in the future. The mechancal clock is about to be invented.

You're you: Modern sensibilities, a product of a western democracy and modern educational system. You know the story of Luke Skywalker, Hermione Granger, and know about capitalism.

Which is most likely:
-- You have died of dysentery.
-- You are burned at the stake or beheaded or in some other way killed for being a witch
-- You skills, knowledge, and abilities change the world.

If that third one, tell us more!

In a previous discussion, I'd asked about the Ring of Kingness of whatever, that both symbolized my power as a king...

In a previous discussion, I'd asked about the Ring of Kingness of whatever, that both symbolized my power as a king and made it easier to be one. It's magic.

You delivered.

At least one of them was a ring that grants an ability I have: The ability to read.

And I realized: Most people in, say, 1200 CE did not have this ability.

What other abilities that folks in our society may have would be considered nigh magical in a D&D-type realm?

Examples: I can do algebra in my head. I can figure out primes in my head. I can, i dunno, know the Magna Carta was signed in 1215 and Washington was the first US President all in my head?

That is: I've got mathematics and history on tap. What else do we have on tap that might be considered fucking magical in a D&D-type realm?

211.6

211.6

I've been losing about a pound a week. We're on track. If you ignore the daily fluctuations, it's about a pound a week.

Avengers releases April 23. Making that is unlikely, I think.

It's four weeks until Nerdly! I need to lose a little under 2 pounds in 4 weeks. That doesn't sound hard!

Are you going? Do you have a chore? Do you have a cabin assignment?

I'm a king or something, responsible for a magical kingdom.

I'm a king or something, responsible for a magical kingdom.

Like D&D. There are even adventurers wandering around. Probably some dread necromancer over the horizon, recruiting for the undead legion. Dragons fly and breathe flame.

I have a ring that symbolizes my power, and is magic.

What does my magic ring do? What other magical items make my life easier?

Anyone heard of Nautilus Larps Project?

213.2 -- down 2.4 more from yesterday.

213.2 -- down 2.4 more from yesterday.

I ate real food! I even had snacks at game.

Do this again, and I'm back on track. I'm gonna try to hti the gym tonight, we'll see how I feel after work.

215.6 -- down two pounds from yesterday.

215.6 -- down two pounds from yesterday.

If I do that again today and tomorrow, then I'm back on track.

I feel better, but not 100%.

My eyes hurt. Work hard. I think I am recovering from a migraine. I took medicine and everything.

My eyes hurt. Work hard. I think I am recovering from a migraine. I took medicine and everything.

I'm not going to run today. Self-care instead.

I saw the cops twice yesterday:

I saw the cops twice yesterday:
1. At a dunkin donuts. An employee had called them regarding people who kept coming in asking for free stuff -- as her manager had said if anyone gave out any free stuff, they'd be terminated. I am fairly sure this was regarding two mean homeless folk. I walked away, figuring she had it in hand.

2. Observed a DWB-- a driver waiting for a passenger. Took video of the incident, visibly observed with my white eyes figuring that'd reduce the chance of escalation.

That's a lot more than I normally see the cops. Like two times more than usual.

217.7 -- now I'm worried.

217.7 -- now I'm worried.

I had a really bad food day yesterday. Ordered lunch, felt icky the rest of the day and ate too much.

Let's see what bringing in lunch + fruit + a small dinner + running will do.

Tell me why we can't have a maximum interest rate, including all fees, at 10%?

Tell me why we can't have a maximum interest rate, including all fees, at 10%?

And mandate that banks to give out small loans to folks who need them.

Tell me why we can't do that?

214.1 this morning. Slight increase from Friday. Not worried.

214.1 this morning. Slight increase from Friday. Not worried.

YOU GUYS I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.

For years, my weak point has been my left knee. It has dislocated three times. The last time, I had months of PT. I've been on crutches, I've lost work. I've been depressed due to feeling like I couldn't support myself because I couldn't walk.

Today, I did not complete my 5k because ... blisters!

This is exciting. It's happened twice now, so I'll want to think about how to prevent it. Yes, I'll do the appropriate self-care and work on it. Maybe new shoes.

But that's not the point: something other than my weak knee is preventing me from completing an athletic event!

And that's the point: the thing that has stopped me from walking is no longer the weak point. This is a big psychological moment.

Regarding the Lost in Space reboot: I rather liked it.

Regarding the Lost in Space reboot: I rather liked it.
minor spoilers below
.
.
.
.


I'm not altogether certain the cards in micro G first scene made sense, but it was pretty.

The robot is great. I hope he doesn't become a deus ex machina, able to solve all problems. That would be boring.

They don't seem to know how spacesuits work. The same suit designed for vacuum won't be great on a planet, and will be really hard to swim in. Ignoring that: Early on, we're told a single hole in the suit means you've got the outside air ... then when the daughter doesn't have air they don't cut open her suit.

I'm able to ignore that, I get how pilot episodes work. And adrenaline.

We'll prolly watch more, but slowly. It's grimdark, and we typically limit ourselves to 1 or fewer grimdark shows a day.

213.6 -- down a couple of pounds from yesterday, but higher than I started this week at.

213.6 -- down a couple of pounds from yesterday, but higher than I started this week at.

On Saturday, I hit the 212's, so technically on track for Tony to see Avengers on opening. Next week, I want to get to 211.

Five weeks until Nerdly! OMG. Have I done everything?

Prelude: I have a Masters from Carnegie Mellon in logic & computation.

Prelude: I have a Masters from Carnegie Mellon in logic & computation. Essentially, a degree in scientific methodology. I know the difference between a p-value and Bayesian inference. My scholarly work has been cited a few times.

I am far from an expert. If you think you know than me about predictive algorithms, you probably do. If you've ever touched a machine-learned algorithm, you could teach me things. I know enough to spot straightforward bullshit.

And this set off my bullshit odometer: predictive financial modeling with 35 data points, a third order polynomial function with two coefficients at essentially zero (< 0.00001, naturally on the square and the cube), no listed p-value, and an R-square of around 0.994 (pretty decent, actually).

Does this sound like absolute garbage to anyone else?

215.5 -- down more than 2 pounds from yesterday.

215.5 -- down more than 2 pounds from yesterday.

Yesterday was a bizarre day. I took the day off after visiting the doctor.

Hand-held replicators come to be. Maybe Musk invents one.

Hand-held replicators come to be. Maybe Musk invents one.

Here's what it can do: Make five things: Potato, corn, wheat, milk, yeast, water and anything derived from those. Pizza, beer, vodka, etc.

And itself. Click a button and you've got another one.

What happens next?

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

217.

217.9 -- that's 5 pounds of fluctuation in two days. We'll see if I can do the same, in the other direction, to get back on track.

On Sunday, I ran a 5k on the treadmill. With a half mile left, my phone fell and I never quite got the right footing again. Wound up with small blisters.

Which got a lot worse when I went on a 4 mile walk with friends. So, now I've got bandages on my feet.

Someone at work turned in notice. It got me down, and I ate too much last night. This is someone I need on the team, who does a lot of work that I don't want to do. And we're assuredly not going to fill it.

Which means, I'll get to do that crap. And, again, I don't want to. So, a night of eating a bit much.

I have a doctor appointment today. Regular physical, which I haven't done in years. Turns out, I don't like doctors making me wait to tell me things that I already know --- I could stand to weigh less, my allergies really are that bad, and I'm getting older.

So, I've put this off for a couple years. Wish me luck.

Me: Did you identify who those records belong to?

Me: Did you identify who those records belong to?
Business: Sure. Here are the names.
Me: Names aren't unique. I need you to tell me the identifiers these assign to.
Business: No. You do it, using names.

Me: ....

Folks, that's literally impossible.

There's this author whose work I adore.

There's this author whose work I adore. His politics are garbage, and he gives money to a church who does active harm in the world.

My solution: The public library.

That way, I get to read the book and he gets (essentially) zero dollars. If I ever feel like it's not enough zero, I'll give money to a charity for people whom his church directly harms.

YMMV, of course, but I think it a fine solution. Read who you want. Try not to give money to people who'll spend it to harm others.

People who have multiple names: little help.

People who have multiple names: little help.

My phone is under my middle name. Paypal uses my legal name.

I cannot get paypal to link to a bank account. It is consistently asking for a phone number, and not believing my number is mine.

Because the names aren't the same.

Alls I want is to move the money out, without paying a fee. Any known way to do this?

The Expanse Book ... six?

The Expanse Book ... six?

No spoilers here. I'm like 200 pages in.

Because I got it yesterday. We had people over, ran errands, did stuff. Mostly, I had other things to do.

And still, I read 200 pages.

Going from moderately OK fiction to something like The Expanse is akin to going from stale bread and water to ... dining at a 1-star Michelin restaurant. Instead of eating (reading) because I don't know how to not, I remember why I love to.

I'm shocked by how good it is, how accessible it is given how good it is, and consume it faster than I should.

Then I get sad, as I know I'll never have that experience again.

Good thing there's a new Sanderson novel, too. That'll come from the library, though. The Expanse I bought, in hardback, in person.

212.9 -- technically hitting the goal for the next 7 days already.

212.9 -- technically hitting the goal for the next 7 days already.

This doesn't seem like it counts. It may be an invalid measurement.

Conjecture: China won't be trying to "hurt America" or whatever; they'll be using tariffs, and such specific ones,...

Conjecture: China won't be trying to "hurt America" or whatever; they'll be using tariffs, and such specific ones, to affect US politics.

213.7 - down 1.3 pounds from yesterday. Hit this week's goal (the 213's).

213.7 - down 1.3 pounds from yesterday. Hit this week's goal (the 213's).

Six weeks until Camp Nerdly!

Today's plan:

Today's plan:
Real breakfast (check)
Orange before lunch (check)
Soylent lunch (Check)
Apple after lunch (check)

Not yet happened:
Orange before dinner
Soylent dinner

All the water and coffee I want, but nadda else. That's ... not a lot of food. I'll be ok, right?

215.0 -- up most of a pound.

215.0 -- up most of a pound.

Makes sense: Lunch was relatively large, though Soylent for dinner.

See if I can do better today. Soylent for lunch, and possibly dinner.

214.2 -- down 1.6 pounds from yesterday. Somehow.

214.2 -- down 1.6 pounds from yesterday. Somehow.

Goal: 210 or under by Nerdly.

Stakes.
If I fail: Tony won't see Avengers in theaters, Patty will drink an icky soda.

If I win: Kim will write an article on use of power in Marvel movies and it's political consequences in Civil War versus Black Panther. Dylan will hand over $25 to Give Directly. Dianne will see a movie of my choice, and not complain for 24 hours.

215.8 --- down a pound from yesterday.

215.8 --- down a pound from yesterday.

My allergies hit me pretty hard yesterday. Around lunch, I took a sudafed. When I still had streamers in my vision and uncontrollable sneezes a couple hours later, I took a benadryl and came home. I spent the rest of the day in a stupor.

I kept taking bennadryl, so I was only half a person yesterday. If we spoke, I hope I made this clear.

Hi, I'm William. I verb games.

Hi, I'm William. I verb games.

But, I don't really design games. My forays into that have never been satisfactory.

I'm pleased as punch to read about those for whom this does work, that's for sure.

I do other things; I've been married for five years. I have a job doing data type work in the travel industry. I live in the DC area, near enough to easily petition our government for a redress of grievances. Perhaps due to the industry, we get to travel fairly extensively.

I suffer from allergies that, once every few months, knock me on my ass. Today is one such day; I am on bennadryl and barely awake.

Go ahead, ask me anything.

217 -- and 200 points on Castle of Mad King Luvdig.

217 -- and 200 points on Castle of Mad King Luvdig.

I'm down a pound from yesterday, and should be down another pound or so tomorrow. We shall see. Need to get into the 213's this week to remain on track.

This is surprisingly good:

This is surprisingly good:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/04/01/wakanda-shakes-the-world/

218.0 -- that's apparently what happens when you run a 5k and then walk several miles downtown.

218.0 -- that's apparently what happens when you run a 5k and then walk several miles downtown.

Bodies are weird. I'll see what I can do to help some food along that I'm holding onto.