Talking to people when they’re hurting is something I seem to do a lot of. I must be a Libra.

I had the morning from hell, just running behind. There was a technology advisory meeting at the school which ran over by an hour. I got up just in time to leave the house, so I hustled up there and did that. It was interesting, but the usual school-headed bureaucracy. I think they may skip buying expensive desks to put desktop computers on and put the $200 or so per station into just buying laptops. And just put 802.11 ethernet in every classroom.

I only butted heads with the network manager once, too. I was impressed. It doesn’t look good to do that in front of the superintendent.

I ran down to Fishbone, and helped them get their T-shirt screen film printer back online. I think their new switch might be a bum one.

Off to lunch after that. I brought Chris at the Shining Mountain Café some tea to try (he really liked the pu-ergh I brought him), and he wouldn’t let me pay.

Work was intense, Marc Gordon needed his machine fixed, that’s always a lot of time since he Talks So Damn Much.

I finished fixing Tessa’s machine, software-wise, so it’s time to re-assemble it and make sure the keyboard gets firmly attached again (it’s amazing what one loose screw does to one’s typing accuracy…). I left the office at ten-thirty, and then realized that where I was going to get dinner was closed already. Guess the universe wants my pocketbook to stay fat today.

Like, duh.

I just had the best getting-to-know-you conversation ever with Ali. Wow.

I love reading something and finding some part that just makes you gasp with the rightness of it.

[00:16:20] Aredridel says “I like my sink!” [00:16:39] crculver says “Yeah, but is your old sink infinitely customisable with LISP like sink-mode?”

So I did find my cell phone. It was in the refrigerator.

Ananda, if mention this to Teagan. It might just make her week.

Twenty-two, because my friends list is too long to just pick 15. I’m up for a private guessing game, too, if you want to come find me on IRC.

1. Watching you grow up has been one of the best parts of my life. I can’t believe how old you are. I feel protective of you like a parent or older sister might. You keep surprising me every time I hear from you.

2. You are wise beyond your age. I completely forget how young you are. You are already more person than most people ever become. I like every talk we have, and there’s a lot lately.

3. I worry about you but I know you’re stronger than you think you are. You have an unassuming attitude toward your beauty. I honestly don’t think you have any idea how beautiful you really are.

4. You drive me crazy sometimes, but you’re so eager to learn and do things that I couldn’t turn you down for a second.

5. You are the most different person I know. I’ve never met anyone even a little like you.

6. I still have a crush on you, and not entirely for your artistic ability. I think you’re different than you are, and assume a lot of things that aren’t quite true about you. I wonder if I like the imagination more than the reality. I’ve wanted to get to know you better, but it seems like every opportunity doesn’t work out like I’d expect. Some of my favorite people ever are your close friends.

7. You are almost entirely an enigma to me, and I am intrigued. You do a lot of things I look up to you for, but in ways that I find completely baffling. We’re interested in so many similar things.

8. I can’t believe you turned out queer. I think that is so cool. Your personality has twists I never realized, but it explains a lot of the way you think.

9. I’m not entirely sure who you are, but your name on Live Journal bugs me to no end.

10. I can’t believe we’re friends. I’ve always thought it to be possible, but I was doubting. Something happened. I think the power to overcome things is amazing. I’ve learned so much from you.

11. We haven’t talked in ages, but I think you’re among the coolest people I know. You used to have this shell around you as if you were the most fragile thing, but now you’re turning into a strong, honest person. I can’t imagine many better transformations.

12. I really like your energy, even if it seems unfocused so much of the time. I don’t think you realize how much better life can get once you get out on your own. I think you should totally make it that far. I don’t think you have any idea of the possibilities. I hope you realize them when you’re near them.

13. I am jealous of you on so many levels. You do something I probably will never be able to manage to do, one of those choices that I would make differently if I had a spare lifetime or a huge pile of cash.

14. We don’t get along too terribly well at the moment, I don’t think, but it’s been a while and I want to see how it goes when we see each other next. We have this amazing habit to completely miscommunicate.

15. You are a powerful personality, and an unlikely friendship for me. I didn’t realize how soft your insides were until I got to know you better. You’re really surprisingly deep to talk to. You’d think I’m insane for thinking so, but I’m jealous of your life, bad parts and all.

16. I am so angry at you still, I can’t believe it. I’ve never gotten mad at someone like this before.

17. We’ve started becoming friends, and I didn’t expect it. You were someone I’d always ignored, just not very high up on the list of people to get to know. I was really surprised when we started to talk.

18. I think you are who I would have been had I grown up in completely different circumstances. You’re comfortable to me like a wool sweater, a foggy day, and a good book and a pot of tea.

19. Watching you transform as you’ve grown the last year is really amazing. I think you’re really cool, too.

20. I have been entranced by you since I met you. You’d be surprised to know that, and I think I baffle you. Everything you write or say is unendingly fascinating. We think a lot alike, deep down inside. That’s one reason I like you so much.

21. You’re someone I met recently. I’ve never connected to someone who’s got kids, a job to hold down, and is in such a completely different phase of life. I’m going to have to go over there and meet you one of these days. It’s not that far! I have a ton of respect for your work, and I can’t believe you ask my advice.

22. We’ve never met but I admire your generosity. I know you mostly by your good and caring deeds for people I care about. I think you’re also really thoughtful.

Twenty-two, because my friends list is too long to just pick 15. I’m up for a private guessing game, too, if you want to come find me on IRC.

zinniazayda – Watching you grow up has been one of the best parts of my life. I can’t believe how old you are. I feel protective of you like a parent or older sister might. You keep surprising me every time I hear from you.

apollotiger – You are wise beyond your age. I completely forget how young you are. You are already more person than most people ever become. I like every talk we have, and there’s a lot lately.

bluesun – I worry about you but I know you’re stronger than you think you are. You have an unassuming attitude toward your beauty. I honestly don’t think you have any idea how beautiful you really are.

branwen – you drive me crazy sometimes, but you’re so eager to learn and do things that I couldn’t turn you down for a second.

buzzycreature – You are the most different person I know. I’ve never met anyone even a little like you.

costmary – I still have a crush on you, and not entirely for your artistic ability. I think you’re different than you are, and assume a lot of things that aren’t quite true about you. I wonder if I like the imagination more than the reality. I’ve wanted to get to know you better, but it seems like every opportunity doesn’t work out like I’d expect. Some of my favorite people ever are your close friends.

dreefee – You are almost entirely an enigma to me, and I am intrigued. You do a lot of things I look up to you for, but in ways that I find completely baffling. We’re interested in so many similar things.

qetyria – I can’t believe you turned out queer. I think that is so cool. Your personality has twists I never realized, but it explains a lot of the way you think.

effectme – I’m not entirely sure who you are, but your name on Live Journal bugs me to no end.

anandabrat – I can’t believe we’re friends. I’ve always thought it to be possible, but I was doubting. Something happened. I think the power to overcome things is amazing. I’ve learned so much from you.

marsbars – We haven’t talked in ages, but I think you’re among the coolest people I know. You used to have this shell around you as if you were the most fragile thing, but now you’re turning into a strong, honest person. I can’t imagine many better transformations.

newt_girl – I really like your energy, even if it seems unfocused so much of the time. I don’t think you realize how much better life can get once you get out on your own. I think you should totally make it that far. I don’t think you have any idea of the possibilities. I hope you realize them when you’re near them.

planegirl – I am jealous of you on so many levels. You do something I probably will never be able to manage to do, one of those choices that I would make differently if I had a spare lifetime or a huge pile of cash.

rising_dawn – We don’t get along too terribly well at the moment, I don’t think, but it’s been a while and I want to see how it goes when we see each other next. We have this amazing habit to completely miscommunicate.

punkrockgirl18 – You are a powerful personality, and an unlikely friendship for me. I didn’t realize how soft your insides were until I got to know you better. You’re really surprisingly deep to talk to. You’d think I’m insane for thinking so, but I’m jealous of your life, bad parts and all.

royaboya – I am so angry at you still, I can’t believe it. I’ve never gotten mad at someone like this before.

snakedancer – We’ve started becoming friends, and I didn’t expect it. You were someone I’d always ignored, just not very high up on the list of people to get to know. I was really surprised when we started to talk.

snarkish – I think you are who I would have been had I grown up in completely different circumstances. You’re comfortable to me like a wool sweater, a foggy day, and a good book and a pot of tea.

summerkid – Watching you transform as you’ve grown the last year is really amazing. I think you’re really cool, too.

whisperchild – I have been entranced by you since I met you. You’d be surprised to know that, and I think I baffle you. Everything you write or say is unendingly fascinating. We think a lot alike, deep down inside. That’s one reason I like you so much.

wyhaines – You’re someone I met recently. I’ve never connected to someone who’s got kids, a job to hold down, and is in such a completely different phase of life. I’m going to have to go over there and meet you one of these days. It’s not that far! I have a ton of respect for your work, and I can’t believe you ask my advice.

commonvee – We’ve never met but I admire your generosity. I know you mostly by your good and caring deeds for people I care about. I think you’re also really thoughtful.

Yesterday, I saw What The Bleep do We Know!? with Eric to a full house a the theater — 500 seats, a third of them filled with people from Ridgway. There was not one empty seat.

I was really surprised not to hate it. Quantum physics being used to justify unrelated things really bothers me — but, while they kept talking about thought changing how things work, they didn’t make any actual links between the quantum world and biology, no matter how much they hinted that that’s what they believed.

It seems that when talking about the quantum world, people forget about Plancks constant. It’s a really small number, and that governs how big and how o likely quantum effects are. All that vague uncertainty about what’s going to happen isn’t as unpredictable as it first seems. Yes, your hand could pass throught the tabletop, and no, it’s not going to happen. The chances against all those molecules moving the right direction at the right time and just happening to not affect each other are trillions to one. Each. The combined probability is really really really really low. (Multiply fractions and you get smaller fractions. If the probability of any given atom going through the table were ½, then with a trillion atoms in your hand, we’re talking a probability of ½^{1,000,000,000,000}, or one in whatever the trillionth power of two is. (The number has more zeroes than this post has letters. And then the first significant digit.)

But there’s a chance. The laws of the universe do say that it’s possible to walk through walls, to teleport, and to be in more than one place at once. And we don’t know how that chance happens. We have no idea why if you hit an electron with another identical electron, in identical conditions, why sometimes it will fly off one way, and sometimes another. Maybe we can influence that. We’ll see.

Even without quantum mechanics to justify why, the biology stuff, the neurology science in the film is real. We understand the brain a lot more than we understand the physics of our world, definately. Memory patterns (while not holograms, but similar in concept) to ingrain themselves that way. While we may be able to tell memory apart from the real thing a bit, it doesn’t take much to disturb that. We hang onto our observer status in our own head by a thread. It’s all so easy to get drawn in, to be a part of the action, rather than watch.

Entirely separately from the intellectual parts, the film packed an emotional punch that was really good.

If I were rating it: ★★★★, and, surprisingly, no asses.

I woke up to Abi Tapia this morning. I danced while I got dressed.

Waking up to The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be is among the best waking-up experiences ever.

Damnit. The hard drive I ordered for Tessa was dead shortly after installation. Time to call for a refund, and get a slightly better, slightly more expensive, definately different brand one.

I can’t believe I forgot to put the street address on my laptop when I shipped it.

At least I got it back today.

I miss Carrie. A lot.