AdamCon.org > chat > Sat 2004-01-31

Chat for Sat 2004-01-31 14:59:08

rich-c: so if I'm early, what does that make you? :-)
Dr.D.: Hi Richard.
Dr.D.: I was at my computer already and just logged in.
rich-c: gather you were off multi-tasking
Dr.D.: Rather, had just logged in when I first sat down about 2:30.
Dr.D.: Yes, reading some mail from a student about a recommendation letter.
rich-c: anyway, how are things in Cleveland?
Dr.D.: Cold and colder...still only about 9 F this morning.
Dr.D.: A bit of sun, though, so if you stand in the sunshine you can imagine that it's 25 F or so.
Dr.D.: :-)
rich-c: I think we are a bit warmer than that, though I havent checked recently
rich-c: we were supposed to get up to -4C today and may have made it - call it 25F
Dr.D.: It was snowing like made night before last, about 6 inches an hour for a 30-minute spate, then it stopped.
rich-c: you must have been getting lake effect - we got a small dusting but frankly we haven't even bothered sweeping it off yet
Dr.D.: Of course, that was the 30 minutes when I had to drive down to University to retrieve a schoolbook that Christina had left in Joan's car, and needed for a test the next day.
Dr.D.: Joan working evening shift that night.
Dr.D.: So, I had to drive down, park in my lot, walk 15 minutes in white-out to her parking deck, retrieve book (place in plastic bag to avoid damage), and walk back.
rich-c: Pam was going to borrow my truck to help Kim move but chickened out when she saw the road
Dr.D.: Brrrr.
Dr.D.: It stopped about as soon as I got back to the car to drive home.
Dr.D.: But the parked car had 3 inches of new snow on it.
rich-c: which is just as well as her mother had chickened out about loaning it
Dr.D.: (outside surface lot).
Dr.D.: Don't tell Pam I said this, but she drives, um, interestingly...
rich-c: did you read about teh town at the eastern end of Lake Ontario that got 24 inches in five hours?
Dr.D.: No I didn't.
Dr.D.: We haven't had a snowfall like that in Cleveland since Christmas 1996.
rich-c: about 30 miles north of Syracuse - they got teh full benefit
Dr.D.: I spent 8 hours straight shovelling snow that day, to keep the driveway open so Joan could get to work.
Dr.D.: Joan helping of course while she was still home.
rich-c: some towns out there (upstate NY) got almost six feet in 24 hours
Dr.D.: As soon as we reached the end of the driveway, the back part had filled up almost to where it was when we started.
rich-c: oh, I have an electric shovel which is usually adequate
Dr.D.: Of course, we have a long driveway, and a big area behind the house because it's a duplex.
rich-c: when my hip was bad we hadd to hire snow clearing help but may not need it much longer
Dr.D.: We'd need a very long extension cord for an electric anything.
Dr.D.: Just take it easy shovelling on your bionic hip: very easy to twist in naughty ways.
Dr.D.: Better hired snow removal than hospital IMHO.
rich-c: we have electric outlets outside on either side of teh front of teh house and on teh back of the garage
Dr.D.: We do, too, but the driveway is 30 yards long :-)
rich-c: well, I am seeing teh surgeon on Wednesday so will see what he is willing to allow
Dr.D.: Remember to ask for your pre-op X-rays.
rich-c: :-)
Dr.D.: Hey, if you want, I could put before and after on the AC15.5 webpage :-)
rich-c: actually, we intend to get everything Sunnybrook has on me this time
Dr.D.: Which I hope you've had a chance to peruse, BTW.
rich-c: oh yes, I've looked, and so has Frances
Dr.D.: Any comments?
rich-c: just sorry you didn't add the food tables at the Mandarin - they wre so appetizing!
Dr.D.: There was hardly room to stand out there to take a photo...and blinding someone with a full plate might have been catastrophic.
rich-c: I am curious about your comment on Pam's driving - I tend to find her hyper-cautious
Dr.D.: Agreed about the appetizingness of the food, though.
Dr.D.: Compared to Cleveland drivers...she is a zoomer, sometimes tailgater, quick lane changes.
Dr.D.: Perhaps a survival skill in Toronto.
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to Daniel B
Dr.D.: Hi Daniel.
rich-c: mind you, a bloody-minded red haze of aggression is a survival minimum in Toronto these days
Daniel B: Hi! Rich brothers!
rich-c: eh, bonjourm Daniel; ca va?
Dr.D.: Yeah, the car's atmosphere was pretty blue from invective at a few points...
Daniel B: ca va!
Dr.D.: So you approve of ADAMcon 15.5, Daniel?
rich-c: we were just discussing Toronto drivers
Daniel B: approve? I have no approbation to give .:)
Dr.D.: I meant that you seemed to think it was a good idea.
rich-c: I used to do that, Rich, but have sort of given up - now Frances does it for me, and she doesn't even drive!
Dr.D.: I can't imagine Frances saying some of what, um, Pam said...
Daniel B: Yeah! it looks like you had a lot of fun!
rich-c: so Pamela at least comes by it honestly
Dr.D.: It was a blast, Daniel.
Dr.D.: If Dale Wick is able to keep to his schedule and have ADAMcon 17 in Toronto, it would be great to have you there.
Dr.D.: That's some of the kinds of non-technical stuff that we do at ADAMcons.
rich-c: pity it's so far from Quebec City to Toronto; you could have joined in
Daniel B: why not!
Dr.D.: The days of 72 hours of straight hard-core tech are over for ADAMcons, I think.
Dr.D.: So you might be a little bored with us nowadays.
rich-c: yes, these days it is far more a sort of family reunion
Dr.D.: But growing family, too.
rich-c: yes, the accretion is gradual and not all stick, but it's there
Daniel B: un chien dans un jeu de quilles
Dr.D.: A something something a something of the pen?
rich-c: now that's an idiom I haven't encountered before, Daniel - is it Quebecois or Euro French?
Daniel B: Expression: simply, something who doesn't have to be there
Dr.D.: Or is it literally feather?
rich-c: chien is a dog, Rich - jeu is a game but also a collection
Daniel B: translation word by word? a dog in a bowling game.
Dr.D.: And the metaphorical meaning?
rich-c: must be Quebecois - in Euro French it would be a cat ;-)
Daniel B: in a "private" meeting, a stranger like me is more "un chien dans un jeu de quilles".
rich-c: oh, you are very much one of teh gang by now, Daniel
Dr.D.: Daniel, you're part of the family.
rich-c: you are very regular in our social activities and making a BIG mark in the technical area
rich-c: like, what more could you do?
Dr.D.: There was a time when I, who didn't attend an ADAMcon until 1992, felt like I was a complete outsider and had missed the real "glory days" of the ADAM.
Daniel B: recreate the coleco company?
Dr.D.: I am admittedly the second wave...but I am still here, when most of the "pioneers" have moved on.
rich-c: yeah, that lasted till you (and the others) organized AC04
Dr.D.: AC04 was 1992.
rich-c: oh - I though you had made it to South Bend
rich-c: but you're right, AC02 was teh year I retired, 1990
Dr.D.: I could have attended ADAMcon 3, but still didn't feel interested enough in the whole convention thing to attend.
rich-c: in retrospect, I don't think you'd consider that decision validated
Dr.D.: I met Herman and George via the Cleveland Freenet ADAM Forum in October 1990.
Dr.D.: Well, for the time, me still trying to finish my Ph.D. dissertation...and Joan getting ready to have Diana in August 1993, I think it was probably wise.
Daniel B: In years 90-92 I was a simple student in a "college" and I programmed games in QuickBASIC.
rich-c: all things considered, I guess you're right; still...
rich-c: CEGEP?
Daniel B: yes CEGEP
Daniel B: I'm still a young men. and with my black hair, I look like "un mouton noir".
rich-c: when you came in, Daniel, we wre talking about the weather - how is your end of th9ings doing?
rich-c: I am more teh eminence gris type
Dr.D.: Whatever "grey" is in French, that is my hair.
Dr.D.: Ahh, "gris".
Daniel B: how is my end of things doing? errr.... are you talking about my coleco projects or more about my social situation?
rich-c: your weeather, with all of us getting exceptional cold or snow
Daniel B: Here in Quebec is ok! ... a bit cold but ok
Daniel B: It's the "carnaval de Québec"
rich-c: we have not seen the thermometer into plus numbers since about New Year's Day - unusual for us if not unheard of
rich-c: right - Bonhomme Carnival is holding court
Dr.D.: We are at least -13 C here in Cleveland.
Daniel B: Bonhomme Carnaval arrived yesturday night.
Daniel B: err... last night (is better?)
rich-c: and now the festivities have begun -how's the temperature?
Daniel B: well, like i said before.... it's a bit cold but ok
rich-c: I was reading about Key Lake, Saskatchewan - they had -52.6C (63 below F)
rich-c: apparently that's enough to make vehicle engines sieae, but I'm not clear why
Daniel B: -11 C here
Dr.D.: Good day to stay indoors next to a toasty fireplace...too bad we don't have a fireplace in our home.
rich-c: ah, for Quebec in the coldest week of teh year, that isn't bad at all
Dr.D.: I am wearing my insulated boots indoors, thoughl
Dr.D.: though.
Daniel B: Laval (Montreal) problem with the water... big problem...
rich-c: what, one of the big water mains break?
Dr.D.: Supposedly this weekend is typically Cleveland's lowest temperatures of the winter...on average, it's all supposed to get warmer from here.
rich-c: yes, that the weather pattern around the Great Lakes, Rich
Dr.D.: Punxatawney Phil better stay deep in his hole, however...he will freeze his little feet if he bothers to come up to see his shadow.
Daniel B: because Hydro-Quebec need to release water.... a few houses are in danger.
Dr.D.: Daniel: that's our American silly "holiday" of Groundhog Day. A groundhog is what in French, "marmot"?
rich-c: right, when teh streams are frozen over a release can cause serious flooding
Daniel B: it's simply ice+snow+more water... in the river
Daniel B: but the water, is going out the river.
rich-c: our groundhod is Wiarton Willie (generation 2 at least)
rich-c: yes, and if teh release breaks up teh ice, it can be pushed way up the river banks
Dr.D.: I spelled it wrong, Punxsutawney.
Daniel B: many people try to help... bags of sand... break the ice in the river... etc.
Dr.D.: You can learn more at http://www.groundhog.org/
Dr.D.: That's the official site.
rich-c: of course, Willie being a native Canadian groundhog, a litle chill won't bother him ;-)
Dr.D.: February 2nd...they all had better stay underground.
rich-c: that's unusual, Daniel; usually the problems seem to be on the South Shore not around Laval
Daniel B: My brother is living in Ste-Dorothee... it's close to this region.
Dr.D.: So far, Cleveland has had no water main breaks or other ice/water problems.
Dr.D.: (Christina says hello, she just got back from visiting a friend)
rich-c: we always have a lot of minor water main breaks in winter, but major ones are rare
rich-c: hello from here to Christina
Daniel B: Hi Christina!
rich-c: but we are very expert at spotting our neighbourhood breaks and phoning them in
rich-c: oh, got to try out my new DVD burner in read mode yesterday
rich-c: Pamela loaned me her DVD of Harry Potter
Dr.D.: (Christina acknowledges all the hellos)
Dr.D.: What do you think of Harry Potter?
Daniel B: I don't read the books to be more fascinated when it's time to see the movie.
rich-c: well the basic story is a tall-tale version of your classic English boarding school story
rich-c: but the special effects in the mvoie wre simply incredible
Dr.D.: Wait 'til you see the 2nd movie, then...
Dr.D.: These are films definitely worth seeing in the theatre.
rich-c: I thought in general that most of the casting was very well done though perhaps Dumbledore was a hair overdrawn
Dr.D.: He's more subdued in the 2nd film, though, mostly because the actor was dying :-(
rich-c: I shall have to look at the outtakes disc first; she also loaned me the second
rich-c: I still have to make time to read the latest of the books, too
Dr.D.: The books are definitely worth reading, Richard.
Dr.D.: If you've not already done so.
rich-c: oh, I've read all but the latest
Dr.D.: Re: latest book, I read it in 6 hours, the night it came out :-) We were at one of the opening parties at Border's Books.
rich-c: and look in your pictures - it's sitting on the table beside my chair
Dr.D.: Gretchen wore a HP cloak and Sorting Hat that Joan made for us to use at the Film Society when we showed the first movie 2 years ago.
rich-c: I will have to fit it in among all the other stuff; for instan e right now the Daytona 24 Hours is on TV
Dr.D.: That was when we divided the theatre into the 4 Houses, had staffers as Heads of House, and me as Albus Dumbledore, complete with beard.
Dr.D.: I think there might be some photos on the Films Society's website, not sure anymore.
rich-c: you folks certainly do have your fun
Dr.D.: It was fun to see the girls get sorted...especially Gretchen into Slytherin :-)
Dr.D.: It's good fun and more harmless than many alternatives :-)
rich-c: I'm sure she must have just loved that!
Dr.D.: Hehe.
Dr.D.: There is a "God microphone" up in the projection booth. That's what we used for the voice of the Sorting Hat.
Dr.D.: By prearrangement with the projectionist, I had Gretchen sorted into Slytherin :-)
rich-c: but yes, it's much more wholesome than so many things kids are tempted with these days
Dr.D.: She didn't really protest.
Dr.D.: HP is a fundamentally good boy, and so are his friends.
Dr.D.: As the books go on, they confront true issues of good and evil, love and hate.
Dr.D.: It's more true to my life than the latest postmodernist cussfest/sexfest.
rich-c: oh yes, and teh story tradition demands the lead character get into all sorts of scrapes and mischief
Dr.D.: And who is Cornelius Fudge by the end of Book 5 but Tony Blair/Geo. W. Bush?
rich-c: yes, that I suspect is much of teh appeal of the wave of fantasy these days
Dr.D.: So there is even satire.
rich-c: I haven't read book 5 yet, but I'll look for that
Dr.D.: Even end of book 4...
Dr.D.: I am off-by-one in my numbering.
Dr.D.: But moreso in 5, 'tis true.
Dr.D.: Has HP been translated into French, Daniel?
rich-c: yes, and the satire of journalists, and government bureaucrats
rich-c: and then of course there are Harry's step-parents and their spoiled brat
Daniel B: Harry Potter? of course
Dr.D.: I have known a few Dudleys in my time...
Dr.D.: The whole Dursley clan is a great homage to Roald Dahl's sort of characters (James and the Giant Peach, The Twits, Charley and the Chocolate Factory).
rich-c: I'd love to know how much of teh Hogwarts castle is real
Dr.D.: Jo Rowling is living in a Scotch castle she bought...
Dr.D.: ...and Hogwarts is supposed to be in Scotland.
rich-c: Roald Dahl came along after Pamela had outgrown such books, so I'm not familiar with his work
Dr.D.: I recommend highly the 3 titles I listed.
Dr.D.: The Twits is the shortest one, and perhaps the most savage.
rich-c: I know the first and thirdd are very highly recommended by current childrens' librarians
Dr.D.: My girls loved me to read it to them, just so they could hate how vile the characters were, Mr. and Mrs. Twit.
Daniel B: Twit?
Dr.D.: A slang term for an idiot.
Dr.D.: British slang, now in use here.
Daniel B: I know!
Daniel B: We use Twit here too
rich-c: Anglo slang for a person lacking in, among other things, common sense
Dr.D.: The Twits in this story, though, are not bubbly air-head type of twits, but are really quite evil and nasty people.
Dr.D.: In addition to not having common sense, as Richard indicated.
rich-c: have you ever read any of Guy Gavriel Kay's fantasies, Rich?
Dr.D.: Unfortunately not.
rich-c: it's an omission you really should remedy at your earliest convenience
rich-c: like just cut back from four to three hours sleep a night :-)
Dr.D.: I've indirectly read some of Kay's stuff, though, as Christopher Tolkien sought his help in patching together some of the ragged bits of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Silmarillion" manuscripts.
Daniel B: ... sorry... I'm thinking about "connect 4" and "minesweeper" to be added in my gamepack project
rich-c: when he gats off on his own he really starts to fly
Dr.D.: Places that JRRT had not touched for so many years that there were bad contradictions, or things that never got written.
Dr.D.: Kay either wrote or helped CJRT to write some linking stuff to hold it together.
rich-c: the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy was his maiden effort; paralleling the Arhturian saga indirectly
Dr.D.: Name sounds familiar...maybe Joan has read it, she likes Arthurian stuff.
Daniel B: minesweeper... in one or two words?
Dr.D.: Me, the last serious Arthur stuff I read was T.H. White's "Once and Future King" back in high school...and of course Mallory in the original.
rich-c: it was excellent - for a first try, but he has just gotten better and better with every book since
Dr.D.: One word I think, Daniel.
Daniel B: In my french windows is "démineur"
rich-c: yes, in this contesxt one word is likely more appropriate, though splitting could be argued
Daniel B: thanks... now it have to fix that name in my project.
Dr.D.: Arthuriana has sorta been ruined for me, though, by the Monty Python version...
rich-c: en Anglais, "minesweeper" is a class of naval vessel, while a sapper who sweeps mines is a "mine sweeper"
rich-c: I have nevr seen a monty Python skit
Dr.D.: Our funny papers carried Hal Foster's "Prince Valiant" on Sundays when I was a boy, I used to read that and marvel at the excellent artwork (still continued by his apprentice, John Cullen Murphy).
Dr.D.: I think you'd laugh at some of it, Richard, but it is indeed not for everyone.
rich-c: I remember the strip but it left our area many decades ago
Dr.D.: I think you'd laugh at the political satire in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", though.
Dr.D.: Might remind you of current government follies, on both sides of the border...
rich-c: oh, I'm sure I would, and many others - just never happen to have encountered them.
Dr.D.: If I come to visit you ever again, I will bring my VHS tape of Holy Grail...if we haven't worn it out ourselves by then.
rich-c: actually our governments at the moment are more or less quiescent, but that can change
Dr.D.: Elanor can recite whole sections of dialogue.
Dr.D.: On an unrelated note...
Dr.D.: Did you say you'd heard from Pam this week?
rich-c: maybe you should burn it to a DVD so you wont have to worry about wear
Dr.D.: I haven't heard anything from her except the brief note about missing chat due to the farewell party for her boss.
rich-c: she dropped by for about 30 seconds last night to borrow a bicycle pump (don't ask)
Dr.D.: Haha, sounds incriminating....
rich-c: all I know is she is helping Kimberly and Art move to their new house today
Dr.D.: In such cold weather, urrgh.
Dr.D.: Hope K & A don't have a ton of stuff. (tonne?)
rich-c: yes, why they picked to close in the coldest week of the year I'll never know
Dr.D.: They can burn their furniture to keep warm...
Dr.D.: Speaking of which...
rich-c: don't know - the condo they are moving from was Art's originally
Dr.D.: The basement is finally too cold for me...so I think that I will sign off and go upstairs to warm up before Joan gets home from work.
rich-c: that's the way Republicans run an economy, isn't it?
Dr.D.: Haha
rich-c: OK, trust you will be on Wednesday
Dr.D.: And Democrats burn someone else's furniture...
Dr.D.: I ought to be.
Dr.D.: Thank Frances for the 2 digital photos.
rich-c: I will have seen the surgeon by then and have more up to date word
Dr.D.: Yes, looking forward to more good words from your orthopaedist.
rich-c: she's out right now but I'll tell her
Daniel B: It's AMIGADOS or AMIGAOS?
Dr.D.: Not really sure, Daniel.
Dr.D.: I thought DOS, but could be wrong...if I am, I'll change it.
Dr.D.: Richard, do you know?
rich-c: I think it is AmigaDOS, Daniel
Dr.D.: I never had an Amiga.
rich-c: and it is now up to version 3.9
Daniel B: I don't find it in the GUI timeline web site.
rich-c: most of the Amiga stuff is on the Aminet
Dr.D.: All right, I'm shutting down for the afternoon...nice to chat with you both!
rich-c: the Amiga is still very popular and vigorous in Europe
Dr.D.: Until Wednesday, Starbase Cleveland closing hailing frequencies.
rich-c: OK Rich, see you Wed then - take care
Daniel B: Bye Dr.D.
Dr.D.: <transporter dissolve effect>
Dr.D. left chat session
Daniel B: hehe! StarTrek fan!
rich-c: Daniel: amiga.emugaming.com/workgroup.html is an Amiga historical technical site
Daniel B: funny! the web page title is "404 File not found"
Daniel B: ok! missing one "S" in the URL
Daniel B: workgroups.html
rich-c: oops! try perhaps mentasm.mentasm.com/~mramiga/dos1.shtml
rich-c: anyway Frances has about 40,000 Amiga bookmarks so no problem finding something useful!
Daniel B: hehe! it looks like there are AMIGAOS and AMIGADOS
rich-c: yes, there is a subtle difference in usage involved, I suspect
rich-c: I gather you have been on Dr. D's adamcon 15.5 page, by the way
Daniel B: Impossible... to late to be prepared
rich-c: sorry, I mean I assume you have looked at it
Daniel B: I looked the web page.
Daniel B: I read all the review of this event
rich-c: so now you have an up to dte look at what your chat cronies look like
Daniel B: I'm not sure...
Daniel B: I see you
rich-c: I think it may be teh first time a clear and reasonably sized picture of me has appeared in our group photos
Daniel B: in one picture
Daniel B: with a computer
rich-c: yes, that's where I am and what I look like now - except I'm wearing a brown shirt
Daniel B: I see the picture (restaurant) with everybody of the 15.5 adamcon
rich-c: of course we made sure we had cleared our plates first
Daniel B: hehe! of course!
rich-c: the piles tend to get embarassingly high at a buffet
Daniel B: mostly because of your "appetit"?
rich-c: oui, et mon age donne, je ne me gene pas ces jours
Daniel B: hehe! eating good food... it's good anyway!
rich-c: yes, the temptations are exceedingly strong
rich-c: anyway, Daniel, think it's time to go see how the Daytona race is doing - time to shut down
Daniel B: yes! and I have things to program.
Daniel B: see you next week!
rich-c: right - trust you will be with us Wednesday?
rich-c: oh, see you then - bye now
Daniel B: i will try to be online in time
Daniel B: bye!
rich-c: look for you
rich-c left chat session
Daniel B: *poof*
Daniel B left chat session
moved to room Meeting Place
left chat session
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to Daniel Bienvenu
moved to room Meeting Place
left chat session
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to Dr.Frigidaire
Dr.Frigidaire changed username to BestBefore12
BestBefore12 changed username to NegativeEnthalpy
NegativeEnthalpy changed username to JustPlainCold
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to rich-c

AdamCon.org > chat > Sat 2004-01-31
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