Science & Code

• Michael October 31, 2008

  Happy Halloween

  Paranoia

  Well, it is halloween again. One of these “holidays” that people use as a rather sad excuse to dress up and show everyone how unassured they are about their gender. Although an oversea import, this custom gets shoved down our throats every year and forcefed to society in the name of ye glorious cultural exchange.

  But I guess nowadays it is considered cooler to crave inspiration by other cultures than to celebrate one’s own. When I was ten, I don’t remember anyone around here celebrating halloween at all. Then again, I was probably too drunk to notice.

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• Felix October 26, 2008

  I am using a recursive algorithm

  Chomsky is my beer-buddy, General

  There are certain painful moments in the life of computer scientist when confronted with the pop culture stereotype reflection one is given through the uncountable channels of the modern media landscape. Cruel fate wants it that frequent encounters with our distorted images happen during the intimate ritual Slacking Off With Our Favorite Show.
  Imagine: the mood is set; a cold beer and a still virgin bag of chips are comfortable positioned at arm’s length, the light is dimmed and real life is veiled by a hermetic barrier of venetian blinds and inch-thick dirt on the windows. The first well-known chimes of the theme music send a pleasant shiver of anticipation through your body and by the end of the intro you are completely drawn into the consoling alternate reality expected to last exactly 45 minutes — enough time for the plot to unfold, suspend and finally resolve; leaving you with a satisfactory feeling of having accomplished something (by proxy).

  Nothing can ruin this ritual more than being reminded that this is all just a story, something made up by other people, something artificial (because then you immediately realize that so are your positive feelings, mere empathy for the heroes you identify with; which where created to be identified with by people like you).

  And nothing does the job better than hearing your heroes say something utterly stupid. Something like

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