the plankmeister's interweblet http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/ The Plankmeister's Interweblet (tpi) is a collection of pap, extruded by my fingers via my keyboard, that details my uninteresting life. It's funny in places, though. :) en the plankmeister's interweblet http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/fileadmin/rss_icon.gif http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/ The Plankmeister's Interweblet (tpi) is a collection of pap, extruded by my fingers via my keyboard, that details my uninteresting life. It's funny in places, though. :) TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:33:00 -0500 Database problems... http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/cf947afed2/article/database-problems/ The database died. So strange things might happen. I've cobbled together a make-shift solution, but... The database died. So strange things might happen. I've cobbled together a make-shift solution, but it's not 100%, and I have to request a database restore. Bugger. :(

]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:33:00 -0500 Busy busy! http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/36b765acad/article/busy-busy/ Well, the last few weeks have been insanely hectic, hence not much going on in this place. Luna is... Well, the last few weeks have been insanely hectic, hence not much going on in this place. Luna is going through an explosion of development; she's 7 and a half months now, and is *just* on the verge of walking unassisted. She can walk with her walking-buggy (though running would be a better description!) and stand unassisted for about a minute. And she's getting her first teeth, which is taking its toll on her mood and our sleep, though on the whole she's a very happy little soul!

In other news, I'm reading Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" which confirms for me my already held belief that there is no God, and religion is a pile-o-poo. It's got me thinking all intellectually, and I've added a bunch of books to my Amazon "wish list", mainly books on philosophy and theology, juxtaposed with books on evolution and natural selection (including Darwin's "The Origin of Species") and even a few ancient classics; Homer's Odyssey and The Illiad to name but a few.

Some serious reading ahead of me! Woohoo! :D

]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:33:00 -0500 (Here comes the science part) http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/ffc0d094a0/article/here-comes-the-science-part/ I'm a bit of an armchair physicist... By that I mean that I don't really know what I'mtalking... I'm a bit of an armchair physicist... By that I mean that I don't really know what I'mtalking about, but I've read enough and researched enough (well... Wikipedia'd enough) to give myself a sound understanding of current theories.

On the way to work today, I was thinking why the speed of light in a vacuum is so slow. I mean... slow in comparison to the size of the universe. Approximately 300,000km per second. It's obviously (well - to me anyway) because of the medium it's propagating through; the quantum vacuum.

In the quantum realm (the realm in which EM radiation exists) there's no such thing as a traditional vacuum. The fabric of spacetime itself is a gently boiling yet stupendously well balanced potential of vacuum energy. I try to think of the quantum realm as a sponge-like structure.

Now... all the evidence seems to point to the fact that the universe came into being from the big-bang, at which point the entire universe was smaller than a single sub-atomic particle, and from which it expanded to its current size.

In my mind, the quantum sponge contains the same amount of quantum... stuff as it did at the moment of the big bang, it's just been stretched. A lot.

Now, with all other models of the propagation of waves through a medium, the denser the medium, the faster the propagation. (Well... group velocity, as it's properly termed.) This implies to my thinking that the speed of light at the moment of the big bang was much greater than it is today, directly proportional to the vacuum sponge density.

This also implies that as the universe is in its continuing expansion (well... there's still a debate about that) the speed of light is slowing down as its medium becomes less dense.

Think about that... the speed of light is slowing down! Not by much... but over the course of a few billion years, if the universe continues to expand, maybe it'd be possible to RUN faster than the speed of light!

This raises a strange notion... If the speed of light is defined as the maximum velocity of the propagation of mass or energy through the quantum vacuum energy, and the universe is expanding, and as I mentioned above it was possible to run that fast, would it actually be possible?

Einsten's General Theory of Relativity shows that accelerating mass to the speed of light requires more energy than is available in the entire universe. So what would happen when you tried to run?

Hmmmmm. Well... tachyons have a lot to answer for. Let's hope the LHC finds evidence of them, and sparticles. This will be very strong evidence for M-theory, which would also confirm the presence of the quantum vacuum, and maybe even my theorised quantum sponge, pervading every point in space, including every atom in your body. 

Isn't that just insanely interesting?!?!?!?

]]> Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:15:00 -0500 Praise His Noodliness! It's a sign! A sign that cannot be ignored! http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/6e78288f6b/article/praise-his-noddliness-its-a-sign-a-sign-that-cannot-be-ignored/ I need say nothing more than: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/21/galactic_spaghetti_monster/ I need say nothing more than: www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/21/galactic_spaghetti_monster/

]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:45:00 -0500 The world is going down the drain http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/95e002e4a6/article/the-world-is-going-down-the-drain/ In Denmark last year, a guy was walking down the street when he was violently attacked by a... In Denmark last year, a guy was walking down the street when he was violently attacked by a teenager for no reason. When the guy (Henrik Bjerremand Kristensen) was unconcious on the floor, he was still breathing, but because of his injuries, there was a whistling noise, and the attacker said he found it irritating, so he jumped on Henrik's head until the noise stopped. (i.e. until Henrik died)

Which is bad enough.

The attacker then filmed Henrik's body with his mobile phone, and proceeded to a party, where he bragged about killing him, and proudly showed everyone there his blood-soaked clothes and shoes.

And you know what? The attacker ("Rasmus P," who was 15 at the time - now 16) got 4 years in jail, and he'll be out in 2 if he behaves.

http://www.bt.dk/article/20080808/krimi/80808012/

Now... in America there's a case where a spammer (whose spam mails happen to install software on your PC that captures banking details which the spammer then uses to empty your account) just got sent to jail for 7 years.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Michael-Dolan-AOL-Spammer,news-2355.html

WTF is going on?!? Money is money. It's replaceable. You can't replace a person. Murder (in this case, totally unprovoked, cold and vicious) is a far more serious and revolting crime than stealing people's money. The punishment should fit the crime.

IMHO, "Rasmus P" - and all of his ilk - have nothing they can offer society; they are totally lost causes. They should just be put into solitary confinement for the rest of their natural lives. Job done.

Cases like this really make me want to become a vigilante. I thought about building some kind of sci-fi sterilisation ray-gun, which I can fire at "scum" I see out in public, so they can't have kids. The cycle would be broken! Imagine a society without scum! Bliss!

Hmmm.... I'm off to Wikipedia to investigate sci-fi sterilisation ray-guns....

]]> Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:18:00 -0500 The geeks shall inherit the earth http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/0133475a53/article/the-geeks-shall-inherit-the-earth/ Now... my mind wanders a lot. And it suddenly dawned on me that the world as itexists today, is... Now... my mind wanders a lot. And it suddenly dawned on me that the world as itexists today, is pretty much the product of the efforts of geeks and nerds.

Think about it... Nearly all inventors are nerdy/geeky/eccentric... And seeing as these inventors are responsible for giving us computers, cars, chocolate bars, garden tools and mobile phones (among other things) then IMHO, they should be given a break.

Ease up on the nerds! Me included! :D

]]> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:40:00 -0500 I have seen the light! http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/2d23a9c921/article/i-have-seen-the-light/ After many years of atheism, I've finally found the One True Path to enlightenment. Years of... After many years of atheism, I've finally found the One True Path to enlightenment. Years of fruitless searching for the right faith for me has finally come to an end. It seems so obvious now. 

I've been touched by His noodly appendage. I now worship the one true God; The Flying Spaghetti Monster; His Noodliness. 

I am now tasked with converting non-believing heathens to the Pastafarian faith. The one true faith!

RAmen!

]]> Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:22:00 -0500 Tivoli! http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/4032ae1efd/article/tivoli/ Today I took Lili to Tivoli. Just me and her. Quality time! And a quality time it was, too! We... Today I took Lili to Tivoli. Just me and her. Quality time! And a quality time it was, too! We had a fantastic time! She was an angel most of the day, and a long day at that! We arrived at about 12:30 and didn't leave until 20:30.

We tried a whole bunch of rides, and even the old-fashioned roller-coaster (3 times!) which she loved. She wanted to try all the really big rides, but - like I said to Lili - "Maybe next year!"

And she's one of the luckiest kids in Copenhagen... Fries, cola, candy and ice-cream all day! She also had her eye on a helium balloon in the shape of Hello Kitty which even I had trouble resisting! On the way home on the train she was charming complete strangers with it. Moments like that make me realise how amazing Lili is :D

]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:10:00 -0500 Visitationage http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/03a85bc70c/article/visitationage/ My parents just came over for a visit... 6 days. Was lovely! Our downstairs neighbours were away... My parents just came over for a visit... 6 days. Was lovely! Our downstairs neighbours were away on vacation, and were kind enough to give us the use of their (enormous) apartment, so my folks stayed there. Worked out perfectly!

We had a fantastic time! Did a few touristy things... went to the forest for a picnic; went to an outdoor farm museum; went to the zoo... Lili loved it! Luna was quite happy too.

They left just a couple hours ago... Too quiet here, now!

While they were over, we were down in the yard enjoying the weather, and Lili was playing on the ship-shaped climbing frame. She fell off and landed head-first on the gangplank, gashing her head open. 5cm long and about 7mm wide! We rushed to the ER, where we were seen almost instantly, and Lili was stitched up.

She didn't make even a peep. The nurse said in all her nursing career, Lili's the first child of that age not to make any sound at all while being cleaned/injected/stitched. Props to Lili! She's a tough little thing! :D

]]> Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:34:00 -0500 *sniffle* http://www.plankmeister.org.uk/home/single/return/18/hash/ad32b84c4f/article/sniffle/ Being ill just sucks, man. Started off with the flu 3 weeks ago, and it's just stayed with me,... Being ill just sucks, man. Started off with the flu 3 weeks ago, and it's just stayed with me, albeit in a slightly reduced form. Nose feels like it's full of concrete. Went to the doctors, and had to have a couple days off work. 

Not good :( *sniffle*

]]> Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:31:00 -0500