December 15, 2002
Partay'ing some more, etc
Sorry for the delay in updates. I'm actually much better than this, but I have an excuse.
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| Ow... |
On Friday I broke (well I've downgraded the status to "really badly sprained") my middle finger. I can type again and move it around a little, but it hurts if I actually have to do anything forceful with it. So playing guitar is out. I'd like to give a shout-out to Drs Bisignano, Stone, and Farren for the toothbrush/fingersplint. Now I have a teeny tiny toothbrush head. I'll keep it for hiking.
Also after rock climbing on Friday, I went to Ferri's place, where I was again extended an invitation to join his fraternity. That would be pretty funny....Initiation involves fencing. You have to fence a live opponent, the top of your head and your eyes are protected but your face is left vulnerable to slashing and I suppose scarring. US Frats have lost their gusto. Or their bollocks.
Saturday was Christmas shopping (actually didn't get much shopping done...). And a partay at night.
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| Nick with his Polish fly-girls |
Nick is the American bloke that I mentioned earlier. He's in Dresden studying to be a translator. His German is flawless, and I'm told he can speak a peck of French as well. He and I gabbed a bit in English. I also met the best German english speaker to date, Thomas, who was originally from Hungary. We gabbed a while too, about visas and things.
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| Some of Bob's homegrown |
After much vodka and a bit of the above, it was 3am and time to go home. I missed meditation this morning...ohwell. Next time, Gadget, next time....
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Further back...
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Previous Trips...
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Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
Spring Break in West Virginia, 2005
New Year's in Paris, 2003-2004
Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
Prague Bier-Tour, 2002
Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
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Stealing the Network
I first bumped into the Stealing the Network series when reading the exploits of Joe Grand, one of the book's many hacker authors.
The 'Stealing the ...' series of books follows a rather disparate group of computer hackers as they help a former NSA spook (many of them unwittingly) gather the money he needs to retire.
The stories themselves are not fantastic fiction. The writing is uneven and choppy, the characters are stereotypical and not very well thought-out. What is fascinating about this book series is the technical accuracy of the exploits (at some points *too* accurate, with screen shots and step-by-step instructions).
It's a great series to read if you're a system administrator, or just getting into the wonderful field of computer security.
Rated 
by reid
on March 06, 2011
by reid
on March 06, 2011
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Close to the Machine
Ellen Ullman is one of those authors that somehow avoided my radar. Until now...
Close to the Machine is less a book than a collection of loosely related personal anecdotes from Ellen's time as a very rare thing -- a successful female bisexual independent computer programming consultant.
In the course of her work and relationship life, she learns hard lessons about programming, running a business, being lonely, and loving the wrong people. I found it particularly poignant being a crypto-nerd with difficult times in relationships and a more-or-less NDA'd, secret work life.
This book is a must-read for anyone into running their own business, programming, or anyone dating a person that is a business-a-holic or programmer.
Rated 
by reid
on November 23, 2009
by reid
on November 23, 2009
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The Long Trip Home
I had the joy of dining with the author in Florida. We went to a little Brazilian BBQ where he spoke with our waitstaff in (what I can only assume was) flawless Portugese.
Brian Wyllie spent 1969-1971 living in Brazil working for the Peace Corps. His recent book outlines his trip back to the United States via Bolivia, Peru, and the Carribean chain, by way of bus, train, and sailboat. The format comes spattered with observations from the modern day, and makes me think, "this must be what John McPhee's journal looks like."
The trip sounded like a fantastic one, but I was left wanting more detail...where did the gun (being snuck through customs in a variety of places, no doubt) come from? And how did Geneve's hair smell? Alas, we'll have to wait for another book to find the answers.
Rated by reid
on April 16, 2009
by reid
on April 16, 2009