Thursday, March 21, 2013

Last Rezort font

The Last rezort font Seems pretty cool. Particularly plane 15&16 󰿂􀺴. They are so far out of this world that they are colloquially called the astral planes. It seems that anything you are likely to experience exists within plane0. Plane1 includes things like all the Egyptian hieroglyphs and Emoji.

I wonder how hard it would be to create a new font? I wonder how the files are formatted? Potentially I could handwrite the Latin alphabet and scan it into the computer then save each character individually as a SVG. Because SVG files should be easy to increase in size. It would be bens handwritten font, I wonder if that process could be patented? I should ask Sandy, pretty sure she has reformatted a font before.

If that works a little bit I probably know a couple of people who could contribute their native script. That would be exiting then, to have a Unicode font to use other than MS Mincho/Arial Unicode MS for Жизньμαιじつ.

Musings on a replacement car #5

So over the last 2 weeks I’ve been chatting on the whirlpool forums and driving a few cars.

Honda Civic:
Just felt like a normal car, the engine was quiet.

Swift: GA<GL<RE.2<GLE<Sport
Was a GLE auto, tiny turning circle. Decently fun. I should take it past the “S” bend at Avoca school to see its grip and tilt at 60kph. Also to drive it past a truck to see how it gets buffeted by the wind. Would be much more attractive if an auto didn’t cost $27K, also a bit concerned about the highway capability of a full load and 1.6L engine.

Mazda3: Neo<Maxx Sport<SP20<SP25
Nicest car so far I think. I tried the Neo Hatch. Probably go for a 2010 MAXX Sport if I can find one. It still feels like a large car and I’d probably keep it for a long time. Very flat and stable on the road, still good acceleration from 60-100Kph. Need to confirm when Bluetooth/USB/Aux was introduced.

Lancer: ES<LS<VRX<Ralliart<Evolution
No hatchbacks nearby, drove similar to the Mazda3, in both the car is quiet at slow speeds so most of the road noise must come from the tyres. Drove during the rain and the traction control is a good thing. Possibly no Aux input to the stereo, again need to check. Also this is the car that pushed me into the seat upon accelerating. Not many seem available on the 2nd hand market, possibly due to the 5yr base warranty?

i30:
Haven’t driven it, wins awards and stuff.

The best place to get car buying advice is from somebody who is also buying a car.

Forum topic #2 I asked about the Lancer Vs Mazda3, lots of people seem to compare these cars.
Forum topic #1 Civic Vs Swift, Prefer the swift but it has flaws.
Bike rack on the boot lid is an alternative to boot space
ROFLHarris’s Thingy is an alternative sound input and blutooth device, using a FM radio transmitter.

To recap:
  • To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it
  • USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too) Need to test.
  • Primarily Practical
  • Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
  • Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
  • Scenario 3: Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
  • Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike.
  • Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
  • Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
  • Zoominess / ability-to-take-corners-at-somewhat-unsafe-speeds. Because I’m old enough to know better but young enough to still do it anyway.
  • A newish~$20,000 or a MY10 with Service history.
  • Auto: now seems like a fine Idea. Had a bit more practice and though it is an achievable skill I don’t feel its necessary. I can use the extra concentration to talk to people and the left hand to drink coffee whilst driving, also avoiding some of the stress of city driving.
  • Decepticon car badge ~$4
  • Powerpoint in boot for possible car fridge? Or miscellaneous electronica equipment


seems there are currently three possible 2nd hand Lancers: 16-18K (30K for ralliart)
and eleven possible Mazda3's in queensland : 17-24K

twelve new auto swifts 25-27K,
 but three manuals from 2010: 25-19k

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Wizard of ID Sojourns

From last weeks paper.
In the above Wizard of ID pretty much everything is about Жизньμαι:
Rodney, Wiz and Drunk are practicing жизньμαιじつ. Their Ryu contains a table and chairs, I gather they are using a 1D6 and possibly a D20? The King жизньμαιわない or at least he intimates that he disapproves, though I suspect that he may have жизньμαιった before. Generally speaking I жизньμαιわない all of them as I’m only receiving what’s going on in their world and not able to change the course of history at all. I’d say Rodney is focussed in his Жизньμαιっている that he wouldn’t have noticed what King said. Rodney seems to have Жизньμαιう the vessel of a “Marketing Executive” but I can’t tell what the others have Жизньμαιう. All in all a good example of Жизньμαι in something that’s not an E-Sport.
I've reformatted the definitions a little, all now presented as suffixes of жизньμαι

[Noun] Жизньμαι (zhiznmai)
Definition] The symbiotic relationship between the ingame Player Character and the person in Real Life controlling them. Is the abbreviated for the following words and can be further abbreviated to ЖΙじ (zizi).

[Definition] Able to be controlled in this manner, the world must allow this, and the vessel cannot be an NPC.
[Example] The specific act of Жизньμαι as we know it occurs as part of a sojourn in a Ryu where an ad-hoc LAN has been setup.

[Noun] ~じつ (Zhiznmaijitsu)

[Definition] The art of possessing another being in an alternate reality. Particularly an electronic entity, though also including tabletop games and “Chose your own adventure” novels. Performing Жизньμαι.
[Example] My hobbies include Kitesurfing, жизньμαιじつ, dancing and cosplay.
[Antonym] Cosplay

[Adjective][~ing] ~っている (Zhiznma_teiru)

[Definition] Parallel to zhiznmaiing. The state of being when logged in, meditative in RL but focused on your vessel ingame, aware of both realities.
[Example] He was so entranced in Жизньμαιっている the pizza went cold; any interruptions were met with the phrase “Just one more block”

[Adjective] ~う (Zhiznmau)

[Definition] To overpower the will of an electronic vessel or avatar making them the Player Character or Avatar of your choosing. In some instances though, as in Red Alert, the one performing Жизньμαιう remains without a physical presence as an omnipresent authoritative figure.
[Example] What do we do on a sojourn? Well we chose a world and Жизньμαιう some locals, then see what evils we can vanquish.

[Adjective] ~った (Zhiznma_ta)

[Definition] Past tense of zhiznmau.
[Example] Back in the day I жизньμαιった (zhiznma_ta) but no longer, Life got in the way… and gardening.

[Adjective] ~わない (Zhiznmawanai)

[Definition] negative form of жизньμαιう
[Example] I жизньμαιわない (zhiznmawanai), so I can eat pizza, its too much to concentrate on the both at the same time.
[Example] As a general rule of thumb you can’t жизньμαιう a vessel in a movie or song, the interface is one way and you can only receive information. You also жизньμαιわない NPC’s, by their very definition.

[Noun] ~????

[Definition] The equipment required to form the relationship.
[Example] For example Gameboy, Occulas, keyboard, d12.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Musings on a replacement car #4

Still liking the idea of an older car with service history but cant get an auto swift that way.


  • To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it
  • USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too) Need to test.
  • Primarily Practical
  • Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
  • Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
  • Scenario 3:  Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
  • Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike. May as well be sporty as a motorcycle with a raincover and safer.
  • Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
  • Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
  • A newish~$20,000 or a 3yo $10,000 with Service history.
  • Auto: now seems like a fine Idea. Had a bit more practice and though it is an achievable skill I don’t feel its necessary. I can use the extra concentration to talk to people and the left hand to drink coffee whilst driving, also avoiding some of the stress of city driving.
  • Decepticon car badge ~$4
  • Powerpoint in boot for posible carfridge?
New
Suzuki swift sport $26k
other models have 1.4L engine
still on the cards because it is: Small, cheap to run & maintain, KW/kg ratio, decent to drive.
Concerned about: cabable on highway, need to trial fitting my bike in. "P" platers drive them

Mazda 3 Neo $22k
other mazda 3's only have extra trim
Pro: Levi & Tony just got one, mecanics like, everybody has one
Con: larger than swift, less economical


Civic VTI-S $24k
other models and 2013 add more trim.
pro: normal car
con: Normal car

Other:
SX4 is the smallest AWD I have seen
ix35 has a limited edition atm for $30K with heaps of extras.
Found a car choser better than the one on TopGear
i30 seems to win a lot of awards
i30 Diesel 2008 for 12K  kW/kg=0.0608
i30 Petrol 2008 for 12K  kW/kg=0.0763
Lancer sportback 2008 for 12K  kW/kg=0.0844
Mazda 3 MAXX Sport 2005 for 14K  kW/kg=0.0850 
Holden Vectra 2006 for 12K  kW/kg=0.1013 (11L/100k, worse than my current car)
and no I wasnt looking at cars for 12K I searched by year.


[Edit]
So after a bit more of a chat with Eddie, see below. And earlier in the day I had confirmed that my bike doesnt fit into a (2009) swift by about 6cm. Sure I could get roof racks for $300 from Rhino Rack. or for $380 a towbar kit can be installed from TowbarsAustralia I suppose then I would also get the wiring for a power socket in the boot. But then apparently I dont need a towbar per say. Seems here I have a choice of three that attatch to the frame of the hatch, the one that doesnt obsure anything costs $360.
Anyway thats just not going to be neat and is enough of a motivation for me to focus on 2nd hand cars. Though I may be swayed if I can drive an Auto Swift Sport.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Musings on a replacement car #3

Dad made me unsure of what I am after + I test drove a Swift and it was manual, I was focused on that one aspect I didnt notice much else about the car. Seems while I can drive a manual I'm certainly out of practice. Also the bike is nolonger a feature if I have a towbar even if it gets used for nothing else.....


  • To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it.
  • Primarily Practical
  • Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
  • Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
  • Scenario 3:  Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
  • Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike. May as well be sporty as a motorcycle with a raincover and safer.
  • Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
  • Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
  • USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too)
  • A newish~$20,000 or a 3yo $10,000 with Service history.
  • Auto: Unless I practice first, too hard to testdrive otherwise.
  • Decepticon car badge ~$4
Old Car:
Commodore VR 95 sedan
191,873km
28/11/94
VIN 6H8VRK19HSL780486
3rd owner
Service history
Mag wheels + Spoiler
Auto Petrol
car seems to be worth $2-3k
0.1036 KW/kg (150KW)
0.1381 KW/kg (200KW), no comparison to the following.

Possible new car?
With dads suggestion of no less than a 1.6L engine.
these are 2L and not as economical as the swift
Larger and will fit scenario 1&2 better

HOLDEN CRUZE
0.0788 KW/kg (diesel though)

0.0814 KW/kg

0.0829 KW/kg

0.0844 KW/kg

0.0866 KW/kg

Swift Sport
0.0917 KW/kg


RACQ compares Hyundai Veloster+, Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo, Suzuki Swift Sport
RACQ running cost comparison favours the swift (base) substantially.

So when I found the local Suzuki Dealership
Auto, 5y warranty, 2012 plates
GA     $17,690
GL     $18,690
Ext     $19,690
Sport $26,990 
They didnt have an auto sport for me to drive,  but I did have a ride in one. 
The GLX though, U-turns are very easy, is quick to turn and touch on the accelerator. takes a while to start accelerating then when I'm done felt like it was about to go for it. I didnt think to try the paddleshift pretend-to-be-manual gears. Comfortable enough in the seat though they are better in the Sport. Towbar is still a maybe and i may be able to downgrade the tyres if I like. Also unfortunately there is verry little outward difference between the models.
Al this though is in relation to my commodore, tomorrow I'll try to trial a Civic VTi-S for a modern comparison.
 

Жизньμαιじつ: Related terms

In relation to Жизньμαιじつ

Related terms:
[Adjective] Vessel
[Definition] Those who are or can be ?????. Avatar (As in Skyrim/World of Warcraft.. Typical of chose your own adventure and multiplayer.) Or a NPC as in Tomb Raider/Deus Ex. Typical of plots with cutscenes and storytelling.or just an Omnipresent Authoritive figure ( Black&White, X-COM, Red Alert, Dwarf Fortress)
[Example] What Vessel do you prefer, an avatar you can fully manipulate or a PC who has some free will?


[Noun] 流派 (ryūha)
[Definition] A school or place of residence in which a jitsu is practiced. Generally prefixed by the name of the institution/school.
[Example] I formed the club “Technomancers Sojourn Inc.” because it sounded fun and people didn’t believe that playing computergames was a sport. So I setup Technomancers流派 so me and my friends can practice our skills at Жизньμαιじつ and have business cards and stuff.


[] Sojourn
[Definition] A group activity in an alternate reality. Usually occurring at a temporary Local Area Network with the primary focus of playing E-Sports
[Example] Do we have a Sojourn on this Thursday?


[] Psychosomatic Anoikis
[Definition] Psychosomatic, in relation to medicine and pertaining to both the mind and the body.  A physical disease that has a mental cause.

[Definition] Anoikis, a form of Programmed cell death that occurs when the organelles of a cell become dislodged from their matrix.
[Definition]Together they refer to the interruption to the life of your Vessel that is immediately followed by a Respawn.
[Example]

[Noun] Permadeath
[Definition] An unrecoverable death from which your Vessel cannot respawn. Occasionally perameath can be negated by Save-Loading.
[Example] The enemies don’t get stronger in hardcore mode, but there is permadeath, any slipup will be fatal.


[Verb] respawn
[Definition] To re enter play after getting gilled, also applies to some inanimate objects.
[Example] It’s best to lightup the spawn area, otherwise you risk respawning next to a creeper.


[Noun] LAN
[Definition] Local Area Network: a collection of electronic devices in a small area communicating with each other.
[Example] Your LAN bag should always have a powerboard, spare switch/hub and 2x Ethernet cables because somebody always forgets.


[Noun] E-Sport
[Definition] electronic sport, like a League of Legends Tournament.
[Example]

[] Player Character (PC)
[Definition]
[Example]

[] Non- Player Character (NPC)
[Definition]
[Example]

~Any others? Suggestions of blanks to fill in?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Жизньμαιじつ

What do youse think of this?

What's a better word for what we (Technomancers) do than LAN?
E-Sports? Sojourn? Local Area Network?
 
Lost where I initially wrote this but the alternate word to lanning that I was working with was psizomaijitsu.
Psi from the Greek for soul/spirit/breath of life
δαιμονίζομαι  daimonizomai Greek for demon possession. It was a struggle to find a single word for this that didn’t primarily mean I possess a car. (daimon = daemon

 Jitsu the Japanese word for art/skill, from 忍術 ninjustu that arts if the ninja.
Unfortunately it sounds a bit like saying size-of-my, so I think another prefix would be better. 


And Then ...
Eventually with the help of Deo and Revi I have a somewhat Dictionary definition

Жизньμαιじつ (Zhiznmaijitsu)


Etymology: Multinational compound word from:
Russian жизнь (zhizn) Life/spirit/soul/practice. душа is the more common word and may be more semantically correct and holistic, but less poetic. Жизнь possibly comes from せいしん (seishin) japanese for spirit/soul/thingy.
Greek δαιμονίζομαι (demaizomai) Posessed,  to have your physical body passivated by an ethereal persona, in this context a daemon. Λέλνμαι is the first person passive indicative. Μαι then is to be made passive by the afore mentioned. An example of this is μνηστεύομαι (betrothed), which is also not in wiktionary.
Japanese (ji-tsu) the art/skill thereof, pronounced (じつ for hiragana and ジツ in katakana)




Word: 
[Noun] Жизньμαιじつ (Zhiznmaijitsu)
[Definition] The art of possessing another being in an alternate reality. Particularly an electronic entity, though also including tabletop games and “Chose your own adventure” novels. Performing Жизньμαι. ЖΙじ (zizi) is the abbreviated form.
 [Example]
[Antonym] Cosplay





Derived terms:
[]
 [Definition] The state of being when logged in, meditative in RL but focused on your vessel ingame, aware of both realities.
[Example] He was so entranced in the ?????? the pizza went cold; any interruptions were met with the phrase “Just one more block”



[]
[Definition] The symbiotic relationship between the ingame Player Character and the person in Real Life controlling them.
[Example]



[]
[Definition] The equipment required to form the relationship. For example Gameboy, Occulas, keyboard, d12.
[Example]



[Adjective] Жизньμαιう (Zhiznmau)
[Definition] To overpower the will of an electronic vessel or avatar making them the Player Character or Avatar of your choosing. In some instances though, as in Red Alert, the one performing  Жизньμαιう remains without a physical presence as an omnipresent authoritative figure.
[Example] What do we do on a sojourn? Well we chose a world and Жизньμαιう some locals, then see what evils we can vanquish.



[????]
[Definition] able to be controlled in this manner, the world must allow this, and the vessel cannot be an NPC.
[Example] As a general rule of thumb you cant жизньμαιう a vessel in a movie or song, the interface is one way and you can only receive information. Therefore it is ????


[Verb][plain positive] Жизньμαιう (Zhiznmau)
[Definition] to possess/control a vessel with ones self/thoughts/spirit.
[Example] I жизньμαιう (zhiznmau) vessels.


[past tense of жизньμαιう] Жизньμαιった (Zhiznma_ta)
[Definition] I used to жизньμαιう = I have жизньμαιった.
[Example] Back in the day I жизньμαιった (zhiznma_ta) but no longer, Life got in the way… and gardening.

[~ing] Жизньμαιっている(Zhiznma_teiru)
[Definition] I am doing жизньμαι = жизньμαιっている

[negative form of жизньμαιう] Жизньμαιわない (Zhiznmawanai)
[Definition] I don't жизньμαιう = I жизньμαιわない.
[Example] I жизньμαιわない (zhiznmawanai), so I can eat pizza.
Then to Quote Deo
"Now; when I play minecraft I practice Zhiznmaijitsu at a ryuha by forming an avatar in order to be able to zhiznmau a character in game. Generally when I'm zhiznmatteiru I'm in front of a computer screen. I have zhiznmatta in the past and I will zhiznmau in the future. I enjoy zhiznmatteiru vessels and exploring their worlds, however most of my life I zhiznmawaranai as most things require more attention than I can give them if I am in a (state of zhiznmai)."

~Note: there are a few gaps to fill butt he first word is the most important and the rest are just contextual changes to the Japanese pronunciation.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Musings on a replacement car #3

And again I've changed my mind...

  • To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it.
  • Practical
  • Hatchback: To fit my bike (or kiteboard +swag + passenger with 2xPCs). Sedans are too small wagons too big.
  • Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
  • Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
  • Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
  • ??? Anchor points in the back for kiddie seats. Or just change car when relevant? Should at least have 9months lead time.
  • USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too)
  • ~$20,000 with a $10,000 loan from grandma, may mean second hand may not.
  • <$30k, don’t want to break the bank + all the cars here seem Luxury or racing cars and I may like that too much.
  • Auto: Manual will be more fun (not in briz) but auto is easier, lots. Some cars have both!
  • New or just out of warranty (3yo): Don't need another 10yo "my first car"
  • Petrol? Able to take regular unleaded petrol, not restricted to premium. Though I’ll probably keep using premium on long trips.
  • Diesel? Economy is better when turbocharges and will always be able to find fuel for it.
  • Decepticon car badge ~$4
  • Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch.
Old Car:
Commodore VR 95 sedan
191,873km
28/11/94
VIN 6H8VRK19HSL780486
3rd owner
Service history
Mag wheels + Spoiler
Auto Petrol
car seems to be worth $2-3k


Possible new car?

Subaru Impreza is actually really large, about what I have now.


Hyundai i30 GD Active (YouTube Review)
Diesel, 5.6L/100km
1413kg
~$24K


VW Polo - a less sporty cheaper Golf
Diesel, 4.6L/100km
1140kg
~$26K

Suzuki Swift (Sport) (example) (Youtube Revirew)
Unleaded 6.1L/100
1090kg
$20K ($25K)
not sure how it will handle dirt roads, particularly the sport.

Yeah I think the swift sounds good, mainly one reviewer said its the spiritual successor of the old MINI. Just need to take one for a drive and see exactly what the boot fits.

A 3yo sport varies from $13-21K But they are all manual. After that they seem to lose $1K per year.
The autos are more expensive in the begining and only seem to have been releaced in 2012.
economy goes from 7.3 in 2010 to 6.5l/100k in 2012 (for the manual)
They also require Premium, how much of a hassle will that be?
costs 4K to drive out the garage, but I can get a 2012 demo for 21K. (sameas a used 2012 model)
... so a new 2012 for ~21K or a nearly out of warrenty 3yo for 13K

Regular Swift GLX on the other hand:
Costs the same as my car at the same age.
Can buy a new 2011 that has 0km?

So from here I need to:
Actually test drive something
New/3yo?

GLX/Sport?
Put at least my kiteboard into the back.
How much of a hessle will the premium petrol requirement be?
Whats it like offroad?
Possibly get a $13K 3yo Sport from a used car dealer, trading in mine for 1-3K.